The Fate of Both Worlds
by shxdowhunting.demigod.wizxrd
Summary: About 2000 years ago, the Greek gods and goddesses swore an oath to never interact with witches and wizards ever again. However, promises are meant to be broken. Post TLO, Pre HoO. Next Generation. (Harry's children)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- If I owned Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this fanfiction, I would be working on the next book or movie in my series. (Right, Rick and Jo?)

*The timelines in this story will NOT match up with canon. It is impossible for my main character to be the same age as Albus Potter and Rose Weasley, but I want her to be, so she will be. I will also be changing some of the ages of the Weasley/Potter children for the purposes of this story.*

*PS- The Cursed Child never happened*

It was a warm, sunny day at Camp Half Blood. I was sitting in Cabin 6, the Athena cabin, an open book about various Greek monsters sitting in front of me.

I just remembered that you have no clue who I am. Allow me to introduce myself. Cara Black, daughter of Athena. Well, my real name is Carina, but don't call me that unless you have a death wish. I got here at camp when I was 8, and have been here for almost 3 years now. Also, I turn 11 tomorrow, on August 26.

The cabin was quiet, since a majority of my siblings were out helping rebuild the camp. Of course, according to them, I'm "too young" to be a help. Sometimes, my older sister, Annabeth, snuck me out and let me help, though.

Ah, my sister Annabeth. She was the best sister any girl could ever ask for. She never underestimated me because of my age, and that's probably because she herself got here at a young age.

I was always an outcast in the Athena Cabin. While a majority of my siblings had blonde hair, I got stuck with mom's dark brown hair. Thanks, mom. That wasn't the only thing that separated me from my siblings. Children of Athena weren't supposed to have special abilities. Our powers were our brains. But, yet again, I was different. I made things break when I was mad. I made things fly to me when I wanted them. I made sparks fly from my hands when I felt threatened, a mystery that even us Athena kids couldn't solve.

Back to the point. Annabeth was one of the few people that truly accepted me. Some of my other siblings did as well, but I had always felt closest to her.

Speak of the devil, here she is.

"Hey Cara. What're you reading?"

"Just a random book on Greek monsters."

"Oh, that's cool. Never can be too prepared. But I was just wondering if you were up to helping me with my blueprints for Olympus?"

I don't even know why she bothered asking. I _adored_ helping her design Mt. Olympus.

"YES!" I then ran to her desk with all of her blueprints laid across it with her laughing behind me.

We then worked for the rest of the day, and managed to decide how we wanted the entrance. I was so tired by the end of it that I plopped down on my bed and fell asleep without even touching my book. (A real shock for us Athena kids)

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ I am a line breaker _-_-_-_-_-_-_-

I woke up the next morning with the realization that it was my birthday. I looked around my cabin and saw that nobody was there. _Well something's up…_ I immediately thought.

I changed into my orange CHB shirt and walked down to breakfast. I then looked at the empty Athena table.

 _Subtlety at its finest… Something is so up…_

I ran towards the Athena table and sat down. Then, a mass of people jumped from around me and yelled "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

"Y'all definitely didn't make that obvious." I stated, but had a huge grin plastered on my face.

Suddenly, an owl swooped down and landed on the table, right in front of me. I didn't think that much of it at first, considering who my mom was. But little did I know that that owl would change my whole entire life.


	2. Mysterious Letters

Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter. They belong to the wonderful Rick Riordan and Joanne Rowling.

*I don't own the first two letters, I took them from _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone._ Except for changing the names and date in them. I did that part myself. _*_

 _Previously-_

 _Suddenly, an owl swooped down and landed on the table, right in front of me. I didn't think that much of it at first, considering who my mom was. But little did I know that that owl would change my whole entire life._

I ignored the owl until it started pecking at my leg. I then noticed it had a letter in its beak, addressed to me.

 _Ms. C. Black_

 _The Athena Cabin_

 _Camp Half Blood_

 _Long Island Sound_

 _New York_

Um, that's a bit creepy. Who would know exactly where I live, other than those in Camp?

I took the envelope from the owl's beak and looked at it. The envelope was made of yellowish parchment, and my address was written in emerald-green ink. On the back was a coat of arms; a lion, eagle, badger, and snake surrounding a letter H.

I was about to open the envelope, when I remembered I was right next to all of my siblings.

"Hey guys, I just remembered that I forgot something in our cabin." My siblings sent me curious looks, which I just ignored.

I ran back to Cabin 6 and jumped into my bunk. I slowly opened the envelope.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

 _Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall_

 _Dear Ms. Black,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 August._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Headmistress_

What? Hogwarts? First, who names a school after pig skin? Second, _witchcraft and wizardry?_ The closest thing that there is to witches and wizards are Hecate's children!

I decided that reading the other 2 letters might've made things easier to understand.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL_

 _of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

—

 _UNIFORM_

 _First-year students will require:_

 _1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

 _2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

 _3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

 _4\. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)_

 _Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

 _COURSE BOOKS_

 _All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

 _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_

 _by Miranda Goshawk_

 _A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

 _Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

 _A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

 _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_

 _by Phyllida Spore_

 _Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

 _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

 _by Newt Scamander_

 _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_

 _by Quentin Trimble_

 _OTHER EQUIPMENT_

 _1 wand_

 _1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

 _1 set glass or crystal phials_

 _1 telescope_

 _1 set brass scales_

 _Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

 _PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS_

 _ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

That helped. It says to wear _robes?_ And _pointed hats?_ I wouldn't be surprised if the students there had green skin!

I finally took out the last letter, which was written on a thinner sheet of parchment, and written in a different colored ink. Hopefully this one made more sense than the first two.

 _ **Miss Carina Black,**_

 _ **I understand that this is all probably very confusing to you, and you don't understand a word that the first two letters said.**_

 _ **I would have sent someone over to tell you about the wizarding world, and considering your unique circumstance, maybe have come myself. However, we only do this to muggle-born witches and wizards, and it would have been difficult to explain why a muggle-born had a protective barrier around their home.**_

 _ **Yes, I know of your mother. When I became Headmistress, I was told about your world. Of your father, I'm not sure, but I have my suspicions.**_

 _ **Before I go, I must tell you one thing. Be careful. Your birth could be one of the worst things that could happen to either of our worlds. Yet, it could also be one of the best. All I can do now is to hope that you're a muggle-born witch with a not-so-muggle mother and a not-so-muggle last name.**_

 _ **I know that this letter has done nothing to expand your knowledge of the wizarding world, but if I had actually tried to explain the wizarding world in this letter, it would have been about the length of 7 books and a badly-written play.**_

 _ **So, my child, show this letter to Chiron and he will explain everything.**_

 _ **Yours sincerely,**_

 _ **Minerva McGonagall**_

 _ **Headmistress**_

I have one word. _What?  
_

I mean, I was hoping for a nice, calm birthday where I could relax and hang-out with my friends, but, of course, I get this instead. Curse the Fates.

I decided to follow this Headmistress's advice (who, coincidentally, had the same name as the Roman equivalent of my mother) and started running down to the Big House. I saw my half-brother, Malcolm, walk past and send a questioning look, but I just mouthed back _later._

I knocked on the front door on the Big House to see Chiron in front of me, in wheelchair form.

"Hello Cara. To what do I owe the pleasure?

"It's a bit hard to explain. May I sit down? I gesture towards the chair in front of me.

"Of course, Cara," He rolls in his wheelchair to the other side of the desk, and asks," So what exactly is the problem?"

I slide the envelope and all three letters across the desk.

"Well…"


	3. Faraway Fantasies

_**Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. I don't even fully own the computer that I'm writing this on.**_

Chiron gazed at the envelope, his expression slowly changing from curiosity to fear. I was tapping my fingers on the desk in anticipation. (stupid ADHD) Whatever was going on, it didn't seem good.

He then looked towards me and said, "Cara. I knew this day would come, just not so soon."

"Chiron, I don't understand. What's going on?"

"I guess we have to start from the beginning, don't we? This all started 2000 years ago. Hecate had blessed some mortals and gave them magical abilities. This started the wizarding race. They continued learning magic, but most were only able to channel their magic through wands. They also started teaching young witches and wizards at magical schools; one of the best today is Hogwarts. Well, around this time, the Olympians also swore an oath. Some of them had children with the witches and wizards and… let's just say that it didn't end well. So they swore never to interact with the wizarding kind again."

"Wait… are you saying that my dad was a wizard?"

"You've always been quick to understand things Cara… Yes, that is most likely it. Hecate hasn't blessed a demigod since the oath was sworn and you share your last name with a very old, pureblood wizarding family. The only thing is that out of all the gods and goddesses, the one who I would've least thought to have broken the oath would be Athena."

I think about why mother would have broken such an oath. All the times I have ever seen her, (which sums up to a grand total of two) she seemed like she wouldn't do anything unless there was a reason behind it. Then Chiron starts speaking again.

"There's just one question- do you want to go to Hogwarts?"

My mind starts racing. Go to Hogwarts? I mean, they did send me an acceptance letter, but…

"However, the term is the length of an average school year, meaning that you will only come back to Camp during the summer. You also have to attend this school for 7 years, meaning you'll be 17 when you graduate."

"Wait… So where is Hogwarts?"

"Scotland."

"Scotland?"

I had to go all the way to Scotland? Scotland? That's, like, over 3000 miles away! And it's not just that, I have to stay there from _September to June?_ For _7 years?_ But still, the idea of learning _magic_ just seemed so fascinating…

"Erm… can I have time to think about it? I mean…"

"You can have until tomorrow to make your decision. It is unfortunate that your birthday is so close to the beginning of term."

I nod my thanks and say goodbye. Right before I leave, I yell back "Can I tell Annabeth about all this?"

He thinks for a moment before nodding. "I guess it would be alright if you told one person. But no one else can know. And if you do decide that you want to go to Hogwarts, no one from over there can know about this world unless it is an emergency. Understand?

I nod my head in agreement before running out of the Big House and straight into my good friend, Anastasia, from the Apollo Cabin.

"Oh, hey Ana!"

"Hey Cara! I was hoping to run into you! I never got to say Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks! I'm really sorry, Ana, but I'm in a bit of a rush right now, can we talk later?"

"A rush? On your birthday? Oh well, see you later Cara!"

I waved bye and started running back towards my cabin. Once I got there, I didn't know if it would be easier to interrupt what was going on or to just walk away.

Annabeth was intertwined with Percy, their lips pressed against each others. I didn't know how I felt about Percy. I approved of him more than most of Cabin 6, and I knew he was a good guy, but I still felt the need to be wary of him. I guess I just didn't want to see Annabeth hurt. Anyway, the had got together a day after the war-

Not going to think about that, Cara. Not going to think about that.

I coughed a little and they jumped apart, both as red as tomatoes.

Annabeth finally regained the ability to speak.

"Erm- well- Hi Cara."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Oh, come on. Stop acting like I just pantsed you in front of the entire camp. This is nothing compared to what I walked into in the Aphrodite Cabin." I shudder at the memory.

Percy looks around awkwardly. "Well, I guess I should go now…" He pecks Annabeth on the cheek before walking away.

I look at Annabeth and say, "There's something I need to tell you."

She raises an eyebrow and smirks at me. "What? Do you have some secret boyfriend I don't know about? Cause Cara, you're not allowed to date yet."

Even though this was completely off topic, I shoot back, "Who says?"

"I say."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"Yes I can."

"No you can't."

"Yes I can."

"NO YOU CAN'T!" I then proceed to cover my ears so I can't hear her anymore.

Annabeth shakes her head with a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. "Now come on Cara. What did you really want to talk about?"

My expression turns solemn as I hand her the letters. After she finished reading, I told her everything Chiron told me and said, "I don't know why but I just feel like- like I have to go, you know. You know that feeling… it's like instinct, but stronger."

I knew she knew that feeling. She told me about all of her quests- that feeling- she's the one who told me all about it. And now I understand what it feels like.

"Cara, if you want to go that badly, then why don't you?" she asks in a confused tone.

"Because," I say quietly, "I have to stay there a whole academic year. The only time I get to come back to Camp is the summer. And I graduate when I'm 17. I would hardly ever see you or any of my other friends here at Camp."

"Listen. You said you had that feeling? There's one thing I've learned from all these quests. Well, there's multiple things, but this is one of them. Always trust your instincts. And we can always write and Iris Message. It wouldn't be that bad. If you decide that you're not going to go, just remember, in a year or so, you're probably going to regret not going to this school."

I nodded my head in thanks and started walking back towards our Cabin.

At that moment, I had made my decision.

At that moment, even though I didn't know it then, my life had drastically changed.

At that moment, I might've destroyed or preserved both worlds.

At that moment, I decided that I was going to go to Hogwarts.


	4. Last-Minute Shopping

**Disclaimer- I (unfortunately) don't own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. They belong to the wonderful Joanne Rowling and Rick Riordan. I also don't own the inscription on the doors in this chapter.**

I woke up early the next morning so I could go tell Chiron that I had made my decision. I couldn't believe that I was going to go to Hogwarts! I was going to learn magic!

I ran to the Big House and left a letter on the front porch, which said that I did want to go to Hogwarts. I then ran back to my cabin, turned the other way around, and started running towards the Hecate Cabin. If anyone had any information on the wizarding world, it would be them.

I knock on the front door of Cabin 20 to see my friend, Lou Ellen, standing in the doorway.

"Hey Lou."

"Hey Cara. Happy Late Birthday."

"Thanks."

"But I'm assuming that being wished a happy birthday isn't the reason you're here?"

"No. I wish it were that simple."

I then proceeded to tell her about how I got a letter at breakfast, via owl, with my exact address written on the envelope. I then showed her the envelope, and her face immediately paled.

"But- but how? Demigods don't get letters to Hogwarts, that's just how it is."

I was getting a bit tired of people telling me that this wasn't normal. I already figured that out, tell me something I don't know!

"Yeah, I sort of figured that out. But I'm still confused. Say I want to go-"

"Cara, the thing is, me and my siblings-"

" _My siblings and I."_

Not the time, Cara. Not the time to be fixing people's grammar.

Lou rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, yes, grammar police. Well, _my siblings and I_ have had way more dreams than usual lately. And they've always been about the same thing."

"The wizarding world?" I guessed.

"Yup. And none of them are exactly… happy." She frowns.

"Oh. Well, say I still want to go, " Lou rolls her eyes, "how would I get there?"

"You would first have to get all your spell books and equipment from Diagon Alley."

"Diagonally?"

"Diagon Alley. Two words. You would get everything that it says to get on the second bit of parchment that you presumably got in that envelope?"

I pull out the parchment she spoke of and look it over. "Okay, then what would I do?"

"Then, on September the 1st, you would go to Kings Cross Station in London and walk through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10."

What.

"Did you just say you had to _walk through a barrier?_ The definition of barrier says that it is something that prevents movement! You can't just walk through one! It is scientifically impossible to walk through something classified as a barrier!

"But it is magically possible." Lou states calmly. "Surely you've figured some of this out after living in the demigod world for 2 years? The impossible becomes possible."

"Fine then. I walk through this magic barrier that I shouldn't be able to walk through. Then what?"

"You would end up on Platform 9¾. On this platform you would see many other wizarding families, and the Hogwarts Express. You'd then board the train, which would take you to Hogwarts."

"Okay. When do I get to go to Diagon Alley?" I say eagerly.

She raises her eyebrows, "Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yes!"

"Ok, then. Well you should probably go today, since term starts in 4 days."

"But how do I get there?"

"One sec." She ran out of the cabin and came back about 5 minutes later.

"Took your time!"

"Whatever. Chiron said I could Side-Along you to Diagon Alley."

"What… nevermind."

She held out her arm, as if in suggestion to hold it. I held onto it and said, "What are you-"

That was all I got to say before everything around me turned black. I felt as if my body was being compressed, and I could barely breathe. I was spinning around faster than I could comprehend, and felt as if my insides were being pulled out. A screeching sound rang through my ears.

Suddenly, it all stopped. I almost threw up on the ground, but didn't as the world started to come into focus again. I slowly opened my eyes to see that we were in front of a little pub which I wouldn't have noticed hadn't I been standing right in front of it.

"Where are we?" I ask Lou, who I just noticed was standing right next to me.

"London. The Leaky Cauldron."

"Wait… So you're saying that we were at Camp, you did some weird teleporting thing, and we ended up in London!"

"It's called apparition, but yes, pretty much."

I then look at the small, dingy pub in front of us.

"Are you sure this is where I'll get all of my supplies? I mean, it's a bit small."

"Yes, I am sure. Be patient." She starts walking toward the pub, "Follow me."

I followed her into the pub and was astonished. All the people sitting there were wearing long robes and many had out sticks that I could assume were wands. The bartender was levitating bottles over his head and many of the people were casually flicking the pages of their newspaper without touching it.

I could only stare as she led me to the back of the pub to a brick wall. "Um," I say slowly and hesitantly as I look at the plain brick wall, "This is a brick wall. Very magical."

She just rolled her eyes _again._ She's going to roll them out of their sockets at this rate.

She took out her wand and said, "Children of Hecate don't have to use wands but, you know, the wizards don't know about us, so we would look suspicious opening secret doorways without them."

I nod my head as she taps the wall with her wand, and suddenly, the bricks start separating. I stare in awe at the archway that appeared in front of me, revealing a street full of bright, lively shops, with witches and wizards milling around, doing some last minute shopping.

"Wow," was all I could manage to say as I walked down the cobbled streets, looking at all the shops that sold things from potion ingredients to magic brooms. Then I realized that we were standing in front of a grand, white building which towered over the rest of Diagon Alley. The architecture was magnificent, and I'm sure that Annabeth would've paid to see it.

"Gringotts Bank," Lou said simply.

At the entrance of the bank stood a short creature with a clever face and very long fingers and feet. I immediately put my hand on my wrist, where my dagger was disguised as a bracelet. But before I could do anything, Lou grabbed my arm and said, "Don't attack. They're safe."

I warily eyed the creature, which Lou later told me was a goblin, while walking inside the first pair of doors. I then saw the second pair of doors, which had a message inscribed upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

"They're going to scare away the robbers before they even enter the building." I say in a sarcastic tone.

"No, but seriously, Cara- this place actually has unbelievably high-tech security." Lou responds.

She then walks up to the front desk and says, "Athena Vault, please."

The goblin looks up at Lou and then he scowls toward me, "What are you doing here, _demigod?"_ He whispers the last word, his scowl deepening.

I was about to retort, when Lou spoke up. "She got a letter to Hogwarts. How? Why? I don't know. I'm just hoping that mother blessed her…"

He turns to another goblin and says, "Oy, Gornuk. Show them to _Athena vault."_ He said the last part under his breath, just loud enough for the goblin- Gornuk, apparently- to hear.

Gornuk lead them out of the hall and down into a stone passageway. Torches lined the walls and there was an empty cart that was sitting on the tracks in front of us. It looked like something that should've been in a medieval castle.

I got into the cart after Lou and the goblin, and suddenly, the cart propelled itself forward. It was turning in every direction possible, at a speed so fast that I couldn't even tell what was going on. I saw that we were down very deep, and were near the high security vaults. But seriously, they used a _dragon_ just to guard a vault? Now that's a bit ridiculous.

And then, when I thought we were at the very bottom, the cart suddenly jerked in another direction and we plummeted downwards, going at full speed. And then we jerked to a stop. Well, inertia, being the jerk it was, decided that I should flip out of the cart and land on my face. Thanks.

"Owww…" I muttered under my breath as I slowly got up. "Why did you make it stop so suddenly?

"No one ever comes down here, so what's the point of making it safe?" the goblin said, an evil grin crawling up his face.

I scowled at his reasoning as I walked over to what I presumed was my mother's vault. It was a stormy grey color, the same shade as my eyes, and an owl was engraved on the front.

I slowly place my hand on the vault and I gasp as the wall disintegrates under my hand. Inside the vault were mountains of gold coins, filling the entire vault, along with piles of silver and bronze coins. I also spotted stacks of drachmas lying every here and there.

"Since you have your mother's blood running through your veins, the vault will open to you at your touch." Lou's voice rang out from behind me.

I carefully picked up one of the gold coins, "What is this? How much mortal money is it worth? Does it have an equivalent in drachmas? How many silver and bronze coins is it worth? In fact, what are the silver and bronze coins called? I said in a rushed manner, curiosity evident in my voice.

"Slow down, Cara. One question at a time. The gold coins are galleons, the silver ones are sickles, and the bronze ones are knuts. Got that so far?" I nod my head. "Ok. so there are 17 sickles to a galleon, and 29 knuts to a sickle. That means there are 493 knuts to a galleon."

I process this information and nod my head again in understanding. Then Lou continues, "One galleon is worth $7.35, or £4.93. One sickle is worth 46 cents, and a knut is worth 2 cents. And no, there is no equivalent of wizarding money to drachmas.

I furrow my eyebrows. "Wait… But doesn't that mean that somebody could have infinite money? I mean, if you went out into the mortal world and sold the galleon as gold, you would get much more money than their actual exchange rate. Then you could exchange the money for more galleons, and repeat the process! And boom! Instant wealth!"

Lou opens her mouth and then closes it again in confusion. She finally said, "I guess… You Athena children are way too smart."

I smile triumphantly and scoop a handful of galleons, sickles, and knuts and shove them into my pouch until it's almost overflowing. I then pick up a few drachmas, "Mom won't mind…"

Lou looks at my pouch, "Don't you think that's a bit much?"

"It's a small pouch. Plus, I won't have to take another trip to this bank anytime soon." I retort.

Lou sighed as we got back into the cart with the goblin (who I forgot was even there) and rode our way back up. We then exited Gringotts and I took a look at my list.

"It says I need robes. Where do I get them?" I ask.

"Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, of course." Lou replies.

I then walk into the store and get fitted by a witch that I could presume was Madam Malkin herself. I bought the robes and then looked at my list again.

"Where's the bookstore?" I question eagerly.

Lou replies hesitantly, "Well, maybe it would be better if I went to buy your books…" Lou obviously knew it wasn't smart to trust a child of Athena in a bookstore with a pouch full of money.

"No! Please… I won't buy too many books, I promise… please…" I begged.

She grudgingly accepts, and I knew she regretted it the moment I shot off towards the bookstore called Flourish and Blotts. I gasp in amazement as I see the shelves that went all the way to the ceiling, filled with books of all different shapes and sizes.

"Hey Lou, can you buy my course books for me?" I ask innocently.

She eyes me suspiciously, "Ok…"

I pass her my list and give her a handful of money before running off in the other direction, staring wide-eyed at all the books. I trace my hands along all the books, reading their titles as I walk by.

"Hexes and Jinxes 101… A Beginner's Guide to Occlumency… The Dark Arts and How It Bec-"

I ran into another girl, who looked around my age. She had dirty blonde hair and green eyes, and seemed a little bit shorter than I was.

"Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going! By the way, I'm Evangelina Deverill. I'm starting Hogwarts this year. What about you?" She said this all very quickly, in an energetic tone. She also had a British accent. Guess I was going to have to get used to that.

"No, it's not your fault, I should've been paying more attention. I'm Carina Black. Just call me Cara, though. This is going to be my first year at Hogwarts, too." I offer her a smile.

But she seemed to be stuck on the part where I said my name. "B- Black, you say? The name Carina- it doesn't have anything to do with space, does it?" She looked very nervous, almost even _scared_ , when she said this.

I looked at her cautiously, "Yes… Carina is a constellation, why are you asking?"

Why was this girl I just met freaking out because of my last name? Was she like, racist or something? No, that's not it. She seemed so nice and happy at first, and then had a nervous breakdown when I told her my name. It was my last name that seemed to scare her. That and the fact that my first name was a constellation. Why?

I was about to ask when she replied, "You know what, it doesn't matter. You seem nice enough. So…"

We then proceeded to talk about a bunch of random stuff, like our families (a topic which I hastily avoided) and a wizarding sport called Quidditch (in which you flew around on broomsticks).

"So, what house do you want to be sorted into?" she asks.

"House?" I question, wondering what a house was. Was it like the cabins at Camp? That was my best guess.

"You're from America, aren't you? Your accent sort of gives it away. Along with your cluelessness about the British wizarding government. Say, you never did tell me about your family. Are you a muggle-born? Half-Blood? Pure-Blood?"

At first, I wondered how and why she knew about us demigods. Was she one too? Then I realized she also used the terms _muggle-born_ and _pure-blood._ There could be another type of half-blood out there, in the wizarding world. But I had no clue what those terms meant to her, so I just replied back with what they meant to me.

"Half-Blood. And yes, I'm from America."

I heard Lou calling me from afar. "That's my friend," I tell Evangelina, "I have to go now. See you at Hogwarts?" I ask her, wondering whether I had just made my first friend in this new world.

She smiled. "See you at Hogwarts."

I smiled back before I ran back to where Lou was standing, holding a stack of books. She was tapping her foot on the ground, waiting for me.

"Hey, could I see your pouch?" she asks as I sat on the couch next to her.

"Sure, why?" I question as I hand her my pouch.

She takes the pouch from me and mutters something incoherent while waving her wand. Then she stuffs my _whole entire stack of schoolbooks_ into my small pouch and hands it back to me.

"Magic," was the explanation I got.

We walked around the rest of Diagon Alley, and I got a bunch of other equipment that I needed for Hogwarts, like a cauldron and scales. All that was left to get was my wand.

"Are we going to get my wand now?" I asked eagerly.

"Not yet," I was wondering what else there was to get from Diagon Alley when I saw that we were in front of a shop called Magical Menagerie. Through the windows I saw that there were dozens, possibly hundreds of animals inside. I walked through the door and saw rats and owls, cats and toads, snails, rabbits, and other creatures which I couldn't identify. It was incredibly noisy, the animals screeching and wailing.

Suddenly all the owls in the store bowed their heads down to me. Some of the staff gave me strange looks so I waved my hands in a way that said _stop bowing to me people are getting suspicious._ They all raised their heads and returned to doing whatever they were doing before I walked into the store.

I walked around the store, admiring all the different creatures. But I knew that what I really wanted was an owl. So I went over to where most of the owls were kept, and looked around. There were so many different breeds, too many to name. Barn owls, eagle owls, spectacled owls, long eared owls, just to name a few. Then I saw her. A great grey owl was sitting on a perch, looking at me. She looked very young, and was probably a baby owl.

I walked over to her, and put my hand on her beak. Her feathers were a foggy, light grey color, and she had yellow eyes.

Five minutes later, I was walking out of Magical Menagerie with that very owl, whom I had decided to name Misty, after the unique coloring of her feathers. I had also gotten all of her owl food.

"Well, there's only one place left to go," Lou said as we walked down the streets of Diagon Alley, "Ollivanders."

"You mean, to get a wand?" I asked Lou as I edged past a lady chanting something about moldy shorts while levitating in the air. Gods, these magic folk are weird.

Lou abruptly stopped in front of a small shop with peeling, cursive letters that said "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.". It looked very old and worn-down, and was relatively small for what was considered to be a grand wand shop. I just shrugged and followed Lou inside.

"Who do we have here?" A young man wearing long, elegant black robes asked me. He was definitely in his twenties, but looked wise beyond his years. Quite like how people described me.

"Cara- Cara Black." I said as I looked around the store. There were columns of shelves stacked up to the ceiling, filled with narrow boxes that were a variety of colors. I knew that there could be only one thing in those boxes- wands.

"Black, you say? How interesting…" He says, leaving the thought hanging in the air between us. I wondered what was so strange about my surname. What made it so significant to the wizarding folk? Every single person I had met here had made a comment about my last name. Why?

"Well, we should get started, shouldn't we? First things first, are you right-handed or left-handed? He questioned, and I responded, "Right."

He took out a tape measure and threw it in the air. While I pondered over why he did this, the tape measure flew up and started measuring me from my shoulder to my finger. I gaped at it in awe as it started measuring me from my wrist to my elbow, and then around my head. It continued measuring me as I turned my attention to the man and Lou.

"Lou Ellen?" the man asked, obviously surprised. "12¼ inches, spruce wood, brittle flexibility. What are _you_ doing here?

Lou jerked her head towards me. "Demi-witch, or whatever you want to call it. I thought Athena had more sense than this." She muttered the last part under her breath.

The man's eyes widened as he said, "But- But that's impossible. The oath… couldn't she have just been blessed by Hecate? Sure, Hecate would get hell, but everything would be so much easier. And _Athena?"_

"Impossible? With _her_ last name? It can't just be a coincidence. And why in Hades would mother bless a demigod? It is possibly the most idiotic thing that she could ever do."

"But what does this mean? Athena doesn't do something unless there is a reason behind it."

The tape measure suddenly flew toward the man, who I now realized was Ollivander himself. He grabbed it and walked behind his desk to pick up a small, brown box. He pulled out a stick, or a _wand,_ as I'm supposed to say. He handed it to me. "Elm wood and unicorn hair, 10 inches."

I stood there, feeling dumb. You heard me right, a child of Athena, feeling dumb.

"Come on now, wave it around, give it a swish, try it out," Ollivander said impatiently.

I started waving it around, feeling even more idiotic. He snatched it out of my hand and gave me another wand. "Walnut wood and phoenix feather, 12 inches, bendy flexibility."

I took this one and started waving it around, feeling a small tingling run through my body. But this feeling stopped almost immediately, and I was back to stage one. He took away the wand again, and passed me another one. "Pine and dragon heartstring, 13¾ inches."

This process continued for what seemed like hours. He gave me a wand, it 'wasn't right', and he took it back. Over and over again. I felt like giving up and walking out of the store, but then it happened.

The man's eyes glowed with interest as he pulled out a slender, black box that had a spiral engraving on the front. I looked on, curious as to what was special about this one.

He opened the box and pulled out a pitch black wand. The handle was carved in an elegant spiral and the end of it seemed rather pointed. There was something about this wand that made it different from the others. And I was dying to know what that was.

He handed the wand over to me. "Ebony wood and dragon heartstring, 12½ inches, unyielding flexibility. The heartstring comes from none other than the vicious Echidna, mother of monsters. Extremely powerful, but in the wrong hands, disastrous."

All of a sudden, I feel electricity course through my body. I felt powerful, as if I had the power to do anything. Everything. I raised the wand above my head and swished it down, gold sparks bursting from the tip. I stared at it in amazement, the intoxicating feeling slowly disappearing. When I looked back up at Ollivander, I saw that he was clapping. He had a very fascinated look on his face, as if he knew something that I didn't.

"Well done, well done! I have a feeling that you will achieve great things with this wand, Ms. Black, great things indeed. Just remember, the wand chooses the wizard."

I paid Ollivander 7 galleons and walked out of the store with my new wand. I stared at it for a few seconds before I ripped open my pouch and pulled out one of my coursebooks. I had until September the 1st to read all of them. Challenge accepted.


	5. Wotter Exploits

Disclaimer- I don't own anything. No, seriously. Legally, everything I "own" belongs to my parents.

 **(A/N: Regarding a review I received from an anonymous guest; Athena has brown hair. This was cleared up in one of the earlier PJO novels, and says that Athena just has a thing for blonds, and might want to break the stereotype. And may I add, all artist depictions of Athena have her with dark hair. Also, as for her powers, she didn't get them from Athena. You might want to look at the label for this story, as it says** _ **Harry Potter/Percy Jackson Crossover.**_ **So that's her magical side. You might've also wanted to read the next few chapters, which explained her powers clearly.)**

 **P.S.- A bunch of this is copied from, or similar to the Deathly Hallows. If you recognize it, it's not mine.**

 **Albus Potter POV**

I was at Kings Cross, the muggles rushing around me, hurrying to their mundane lives. My younger sister was walking toward the barrier with my parents, being the whiny brat she was.

"It won't be long, and you'll be going too," Dad told her.

"Two years," sniffed Lily. "I want to go now!" Wow, that girl could be such a baby at times. Would she ever shut up?

I suddenly felt a pair of hands land on my shoulders. I spun around to face my older brother, James. He had a lopsided smirk casually drawn across his face, and had one hand running through his hair, messing it up so it was wilder than usual, and that was saying something.

"So, little brother. Have you ever thought of what might happen if you end up in Slytherin?"

I retaliated immediately, "I won't! I won't be a Slytherin!"

"James, give it a rest!" Mum replied.

"I only said he might be," he said, grinning at me. The prat. "There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slytherin."

Mum sent a glare towards James, and he instantly fell silent. I snickered, but quieted once my mother's glare turned towards me. Goodness, that woman was scary.

"You'll write to me, won't you?" I asked, turning towards both of my parents once we walked through the brick barrier. I gasped in awe as I saw the scarlet train billowing white smoke around the platform. I had seen it so many times, yet it never failed to stun me. But the best part was, this year, I was actually _going_ to Hogwarts. It was amazing.

"Every day, if you want us to," Mum replied.

"Not every day," I responded quickly, "James says most people only get letters from home about once a month." I didn't want my classmates to think that I was a spoiled brat who got everything he wanted from his mommy and daddy. It was bad enough being Harry Potter's son, having all of those reporters crowd around you every time you walked out of your bloody house.

"We wrote to James three times a week last year." She looked pointedly at James.

And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts," Dad added, jumping into the conversation. "He likes a laugh, your brother." At these words, James smirked, before disappearing into the thick, white fog.

My eyes swept across the platform, searching for any sign of my cousins. "Where are they?" I asked, peering at the hazy forms of witches and wizards as they hustled across the concrete floor.

"We'll find them," Mum said confidently, but that didn't do much to reassure me. I mean, in a fog like this, I wouldn't be able to tell whether my mom was my mom, or just a Ginny Weasley impersonator, if I didn't know her voice that well. Or the imposter could just be using Polyjuice. Hmm…

Before I could think any further into my theory, my "mum" suddenly called out, "I think that's them, Al."

Sure enough, my Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, and cousins, Rose and Hugo, walked through the tornado of mist and came into focus.

"Hi," I said, glad that they were finally here. Oh, but I would've payed to see Rose's reaction if she missed the train. All I'd heard for the past month was _"Al, we're going to Hogwarts!"_ and _"I can't believe we're going to learn magic!"_

After that, I tuned out for a bit.I heard some mumbo-jumbo about muggle driving and Confundus Charms. The fog had become less dense, so my eyes searched the platform for any familiar faces. I saw my cousin, Molly, chatting with my other cousin, Dominique, about something. Knowing Dominique, it's probably about the day she battled a Chinese Fireball. The stories that girl comes up with…

I refocus myself on my parents conversation just in time to hear, "If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you, but no pressure."

"Ron!"

I immediately pale. What would happen if I didn't get in Gryffindor? Worse, if I got in _Slytherin_? The whole wizarding world would probably shun me. A Potter, in Slytherin? Even my own uncle would abandon me. Well, on the bright side, at least the reporters would fuck off. Well, maybe not. Knowing them, they'd probably make a story out of it. _The Rebelling Potter_ , or something like that.

"He doesn't mean it," Aunt Hermione says soothingly, noting my worried expression. Before I have time to process her words, I hear, "Look who it is."

I turn towards where my Uncle Ron is looking, and see a man who I recognized from the Prophet. Draco Malfoy. He and my dad were great friends, weren't they? Note the sarcasm…

Next to him, I see a tall brunette, who I presumed was his wife, and a little boy, who looked around my age. He looked uncannily like his father, with the same white-blond hair and grey eyes. The older man sees us watching, and nods curtly, before looking away.

"So that's little Scorpius," Uncle Ron said under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

"Ron, for heaven's sake," Aunt Hermione replied, half stern, half amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," he replied, but unable to help himself, he added, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."

"Hey!" I heard an oddly familiar voice yell from behind me. My dearest brother came charging at us, waving his hands wildly through the air. He stopped in front of us, an idiotic grin plastered across his face.

"Teddy's back there," he said breathlessly, pointing to the forest of fog and smoke, "Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? Snogging Victoire!"

I wasn't that shocked, I knew it was going to happen eventually, but in the middle of a train station? Really Teddy?

"Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging our Victoire! Our cousin! And I asked Teddy

what he was doing- "

James was obviously hoping for them to start, I don't know, hyperventilating.

"You interrupted them?" Mum asked, "You are so like Ron- "

"- and he said he'd come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's snogging her!" James added, making sure we all understood what he meant. We aren't deaf, Jamesie.

"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!" Lily whispered happily. "Teddy would really be part of the family then!" I have to admit, it would be pretty cool if Teddy was actually related to us.

"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week," Dad replied, "Why don't we just invite him to live with is and have done with it?"

"Yeah!" James said enthusiastically. "I don't mind sharing with Al- Teddy could have my room!"

Um, no. No, no, nopeity nope no.

"No," Dad told him firmly, "you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished."

He looked at the old watch that he'd been wearing since I could remember, "It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board."

"Don't forget to give Neville our love!" Mum told James as she hugged him.

"Mum! I can't give a professor love!"

"But you know Neville-"

He just rolled his eyes at her. "Outside, yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he? I can't walk into Herbology and give him love…"

He just rolled his eyes again, shaking his head at mum's idiocy. Apparently, he got bored of the conversation, since he decided to try to kick me in the shins. I swiftly jumped over the leg, but it was close, enough to earn him a glare.

"See you later, Al. Watch out for the thestrals." He said, his eyes glinting mischievously. Wait, what? Thestrals?

"I thought they were invisible? You said they were invisible!" but all James did was laugh. He let Mum kiss him on the cheek, gave Dad a quick hug, and then sprinted onto the train, which was getting filled quickly. He waved to us, before running off to find a compartment. I, personally, was still worried about the Thestrals. It seems Dad read my thoughts.

"Thestrals are nothing to worry about," he told me, "They're gentle things, there's nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats."

Mum gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, which I tried to dodge, but her Quidditch reflexes got the best of me.

"See you at Christmas," she said.

"Bye, Al," Dad said when I went to hug him, "Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone till you've learned how. And don't let James wind you up."

"What if I'm in Slytherin?" I whispered the last of my concerns, but it was the worst. I knew that Dom and Roxie had been in Slytherin, but it was different. For Dom, her mother, my Aunt Fleur, hadn't even gone to Hogwarts. And Uncle Bill was really accepting. For Roxie, well, she'd always been different, a bit of a rebel in the family. They both _fit_ with the Slytherins. I didn't.

Dad crouched down so that his face was almost on level with mine. He looked me directly in the eyes, the same green eyes that I had inherited from him.

"Albus Severus," Dad said quietly, so that none of the reporters could hear him, "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."

"But just say-"

"-then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al. But if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."

"Really?" I asked in shock. From what I heard, it just shuffled through your memories and picked a house. I didn't know you actually got a part in picking which house you got to be in.

"It did for me," he said.

Wait… did that mean the hat considered making Dad a Slytherin? But I realized that almost everyone was on the train and ran into the compartment Rose was sitting in. I observed that there was one other girl present, reading a book, with a large curtain of thick brown hair covering her face. I dangled my head out the window, looking at my family standing on the platform. I noticed that quite a lot of people were staring at Dad.

"Why are they all staring?" I inquired, leaning out of the compartment to see half of the kids gaping at Dad. It made me really uncomfortable.

"Don't let it worry you," Uncle Ron joked, "It's me, I'm extremely famous."

Rose, Hugo, Lily, and I all laughed. The train started to move, and I suddenly got really excited. This was it! I was finally going to Hogwarts! I saw Dad waving and grinning at me, so I waved back, only stopping when he was out of sight.

I abruptly looked at the other girl, remembering she was there. She seemed to feel my gaze, so she looked up from her book. She raised an eyebrow at my awkwardness, and stuck out her hand.

"Hello. I'm Carina. Carina Black."

 **A/N~ Sorry for this filler chapter. No, but really, this is the Deathly Hallows epilogue from Albus' POV. I just needed to introduce the characters' attitudes and personalities, if that makes sense. -S**


	6. Mystical Train Rides and Talking Hats

_**Disclaimer- The owners of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are professional adults. I am a 12 year old eating Doritos and procrastinating homework. Therefore, I'm not the owner(s).**_

" _Remember what Bilbo used to say: 'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.'" — J.R.R. Tolkien_

 _ **Carina POV**_

Wow, this boy was making me start introductions? Fine then. Shy, I guess.

"Hello. I'm Carina. Carina Black."

The boy smiled lightly, before sticking out his hand to shake mine, "Albus Potter. But call me Al." He had disheveled black hair, that was literally everywhere, and bright green eyes that seemed to pierce through you. Though it was hard to tell with his posture, he seemed about average height, and was rather skinny. Suddenly, a lightbulb clicked in my head.

"Albus Potter? As in, son of Harry Potter, defeater of Voldemort?" I'd managed to read all of my course books twice over four days. Impressive, wasn't it?

Al looked slightly uncomfortable, "Yeah. That's the one."

I offered him a remorseful smile, understanding that he didn't enjoy being in the spotlight. I knew someone who was in the same situation, "Don't want to be known for who your dad is?"

"More like, don't want to be known in general."

I looked toward the other girl sitting in the compartment, "Hello," I noticed she completely absorbed in a book, a rather thick one. Wild red hair framed her face, almost as crazy as Al's, and soft blue eyes scanned the words printed across the paper. She looked up, "Oh, sorry, that was a bit rude of me, wasn't it? Rose. Rose Weasley."

"And your parents-"

"Yup." So I was in a compartment with the children of the Golden Trio. Both of them grew up in the limelight, and more importantly, in the wizarding world. And then there's me.

I looked back down at the book, "What book is that you're reading?"

"Hogwarts, A History. It's quite interesting, even though many don't bother reading it."

"I've read my copy twice, and I've owned it for four days."

Al looked positively horrified, "They're multiplying!"

We all burst into peals of laughter. It felt nice, being able to fit in. I was worried that it'd be hard to, since I had the knowledge of a muggleborn. And, you know, since I was a demi-witch. But Al and Rose were just so accepting.

The compartment door slid open, and a boy with neat white-blond hair, light grey eyes, and aristocratic features entered, "Hi. I was wondering if I could sit here."

Al and I just shrugged, while Rose narrowed her eyes, "You are?"

"Scorpius Malfoy," he said simply, and then snickered, "and aren't you the girl that my father warned me about?"

"Aren't you the boy that _my_ father warned me about?"

Al and I just exchanged looks. Scorpius sat down next to me. "I know who you two are," he said, looking at Al and Rose. But then he turned to me, "I have no clue who you are."

"Not blunt, then," I say sarcastically.

He raised an eyebrow and questioned, "American?"

When I nodded my head, Rose spoke, "I was wondering, but didn't know whether it would be impolite to ask."

"Well, Red, I asked first," he uttered simply, leaning back against the seat. He cast an amused eye towards Rose, who was red in rage.

"Did you just call me 'Red'?" she whispered furiously, crossing her arms over her chest. Al seemed to be attempting to suppress his laughter. I had an idea of what would happen before it even occurred; boys are idiots.

"Yeah, and your face is starting to match that name," he retorted, smirking slightly. Rose shrieked in anger, while glaring fiercely at Scorpius. Al couldn't hold in his laughter any longer, and was almost crying in hysterics. Apparently, Rose was usually extremely composed and calm, and this was a drastic change. It was like the effect Percy had on Annabeth; I can still remember her late-night rants about him. _'He's so annoying'_ and _'Ugh, can that idiot even think?'_ were a few things I overheard her saying.

Once Al had gotten a hold of himself, he looked towards Scorpius and stated simply, "I like you." I just rolled my eyes when the boys started snickering.

Scorpius turned back to me, "I still don't know who you are."

"Carina Black. But please, it's Cara."

But Scorpius, like every other person in the universe, seemed stuck on one thing. However, unlike the others, he looked at me with interest rather than fear.

"Black? As in, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black? _Toujours Pur_? You know, the ancient pureblood line which is said to be dead? _That_ Black?" he wonders aloud, trying to hide his curiosity, but failing miserably.

"Um- well, I really don't know. Never known who my father was actually was," I responded, shrugging casually. From what I had read, the Black line was very… different. I'm not sure I wanted to be a part of it. Although the Malfoy line didn't have that great of a past either, but Scorpius seemed all right.

The aforementioned person seemed deep in thought, "Well, it would make sense, after all," he eventually remarked, "Carina is a constellation, isn't it? And all of the Black children were named after things relating to space, weren't they? Stars, planets, constellations, things like that, right? And your features do fit what a Black usually looks like. Same cheekbones, same lips, similar eyes." he observed plainly, as if he just said that Rose was a redhead or that I had grey eyes.

"Mate, how do you know all that?" Al asked him in obvious bewilderment, voicing all of our thoughts.

"Mandatory pureblood lessons. Father didn't make them nearly as intense as his, but I still had to take them. One of the classes, history of some sort, taught me about all of the most ancient bloodlines." Scorpius smiled sheepishly.

After that, we just dove into conversation. We talked about a wizarding sport that was played on broomsticks, called Quidditch, ( _"I mean, it's alright, but not worth worshipping," "What do you mean, Rosie, it's God's gift to wizardkind!"_ ) the classes we would be taking, ( _"Ooh, I just can't wait for classes to start. They all sound so interesting, I don't know how I'll be able to pick in 3rd year!" "Really, Weasley, out of everything Hogwarts has to offer, you're excited for classes? Typical."_ ) and eventually got to which houses we wanted to be in.

"Gryffindor, obviously, but I wouldn't mind being in Ravenclaw. Dad might be a bit annoyed for a while, but my relatives have been in so many different houses, I don't think most of them care anymore," Rose mentioned indifferently, looking out of the window while munching on a chocolate frog. There were beautiful green slopes resting on the horizon, but with all of the interesting conversations and new thing to discover, the scenery was hard to admire.

"Well, if I don't get into Slytherin, I'm probably going to get murdered. My dad might be a bit pissed, but he's not the problem. It's my grandfather. He is literally going to castrate me if I don't get into Slytherin." Scorpius added, sighing glumly.

"The question isn't what house you're expected to be in, it's what house you _want_ to be in." Al uttered, giving Scorpius a look.

Scorpius just shrugged his shoulders in response. "What house do _you_ want to be in, then? Even though it's pretty obvious."

Al smiled sheepishly, "Gryffindor." I noticed there was something in his eyes. Doubt? Worry? He probably didn't want to speak about it, so I wasn't going to press. I was surrounded by overprotective siblings 24/7, so I got how he felt. Sometimes you just didn't want to share.

They all looked towards me, and I realized I was the only one who hadn't responded to the question yet, "Erm… well, I don't have any expectations to live up to, so that isn't much of a problem. I mean, I think I'm smart enough for Ravenclaw, and maybe courageous enough for Gryffindor. I am somewhat ambitious and cunning, but I don't think I'd fit in with the Slytherins. And I'm a bit too harsh to be in Hufflepuff. Maybe the sorting hat will decide I don't truly belong anywhere, and just send me home."

Rose was about to say something when the compartment door slid open. Leaning against the doorframe was a slightly older, taller boy, who looked quite similar to Al, with the same messy black hair and oval face. However, while Al had green eyes, this boy had hazel ones which glinted mischievously. But being a demigod payed off in some ways, since I learned how to read people like open books. I could tell that whilst they looked alike, their personalities were far from. Al was on the quieter side, with small smiles and an awkward aura. He hated being in the spotlight. This boy, however, savored it. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes and an overconfident smirk. It was like someone took a Hermes child, a Hecate child, and an Aphrodite child and shoved them into one person. Not good. Definitely not.

"Hey little brother. Made any new friends? Having bunches of fun? I wonder why the students aren't crowded around you. They practically ambushed me. Of course, I'm older, so…" he spoke, not doing much to disprove what I thought about him.

Al just sighed, "Go away, James."

"Oh, Al, you wound me. Do you believe that I am not worthy of Your presence? What have I done wrong? I ask, what have I done wrong?" James Potter said dramatically, flailing his arms about. Rose, I could see, had only rolled her eyes, obviously used to the older boy's antics. Scorpius watched with amused interest. Al was blushing slightly, so I took it as a cue to rescue him.

"Sarcasm isn't fit for conversations when all that is spoken is truth," I add, and Potter's eyes flash towards me, widening, before skeptically raising his eyebrows, probably pondering why a lowly _peasant_ like me spoke to him in such a way.

"Don't speak when not spoken to, I believe it's said. Who even are you, anyway?"

"Why would you want to know the name of a plebeian such as myself?" I shot back, and he narrowed his eyes at me. Rose simply, again, rolled her eyes. Scorpius just watched on with an incredulous look on his face. Al was smirking, probably glad to see his brother get put in his place.

"James, meet Cara Black, our new friend. Cara, meet James Potter, my cousin," Rose said exasperatedly. I glared up at the older boy, and thus began the rivalry of the century. He walked out of the compartment, head held high, but if you looked close enough, you could see the slight falter in his confidence.

After he left, Al burst into laughter, "The look on his face- you- don't think anyone's ever stood up to him," he said in between his stream of hysterics. Scorpius was snickering, while Rose was trying to contain a smile.

When we finally gathered ourselves, Scorpius said, "We should probably change into our robes. We're almost at Hogwarts."

At those words, I got all bubbly inside. At first, I didn't know what to think of Hogwarts. I mean, school of witchcraft and wizardry is extremely vague. But after I read about it, it just seemed so- well, _magical_. With the moving staircases and chatty portraits, the hundreds of ghosts and interesting classes, it just seemed so amazing. Almost at Hogwarts. Almost learning magic. Almost.

Rose proceeded to push the boys forcefully out of the compartment, much to their protest. I was the only one who actually had to change, since she was wearing her robes since she I first saw her.

Once the boys entered the compartment again, changed into their robes, the train slowed down. A feminine voice rang around us, "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

As I shoved some of my books into my backpack, I started fiddling with my bracelet. I could normally put this down to my ADHD, since I had been on a train for hours, but this was different. My bracelet was just a disguise for my dagger, after all. At first, I didn't know whether I should've brought it with me. This was a school, after all, not a battlefield. But then I remembered this wasn't an ordinary school, that this was a school of _magic_. Anyway, better safe than sorry, yeah? Or rather, better mildly injured than dead.

I jumped out of the train to see a beautiful village full of little wooden cottages and shops. An old, rickety sign in front of me told me that it was _Hogsmeade_ , and I suddenly remembered reading about it. Something about the largest all-wizarding community in Britain.

"I thought we were supposed to go to Hogwarts?" I whispered to Rose in confusion.

"We have to ride carriages to get up to the castle. Actually, this year, we're taking boats. All the first-years do," she whispered back. When she said this, I noticed glowing white skeletal horses pulling carriages full of students. I looked over curiously, before turning back to her.

At that moment, I heard a large man yelling, "Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" I immediately was on guard, since he was definitely too tall to be human. His features were somewhat similar to those of a giant, but he was much too small to be a true giant. Hmm. That's a mystery to be solved.

Rose noticed my wary gaze, and mentioned, "That's Hagrid. He might be a bit… erm, wild looking, but really he's a total teddy bear. Wouldn't hurt a fly"

Al, Rose, Scorpius, and I walked over to Hagrid, and the former two went up and hugged the large man. Scorpius and I stood awkwardly in the background, waiting for them to join us. Al noticed our discomfort and said, "Hagrid, this is Scorpius Malfoy, and this is Cara Black."

Hagrid eyed Scorpius wearily, before turning his gaze to me. His eyes flickered with a hint of something indiscernible, but it was gone quick enough for me to wonder if I was imagining it.

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts. Pleasure to meet yeh," he said, holding a large hand out to us. We both shook it, and walked towards the where all the other first years were.

"Oh, and Al? Don't ferget about lunch on Friday!" Hagrid called after us, as Scorpius and I stepped into a boat after Al and Rose. Al yelled back, but I tuned him out because of the sick feeling in my stomach. I wasn't a child of Zeus or Hades, but that didn't mean Poseidon liked me. Annabeth was really the only child of Athena truly safe in the water, and that was only since nobody wanted to feel the wrath of an angry child of Poseidon.

While the others were chatting happily, I was sitting nervously in the boat, feeling extremely queasy. Rose, who I perceived as the observant one, looked at me questioningly. I just shrugged, and mouthed ' _don't like the water'._

As the boat turned around the corner, I gasped in amazement. On the horizon was the most magnificent castle I had ever seen. It wasn't that much, compared to Olympus, but I still couldn't help myself. The architecture was absolutely stunning. The castle was built in a medieval style, with towers and spires shooting up in the perfect spots. The entire building seemed to radiate this lovely glow in the moonlight. I stared at the castle in awe for the next minute or so. Oh, how I wonder what Annabeth would think of this.

All of the first years neared the entrance of the castle when a tall blonde woman walks toward us. Her hair was pulled up into a regal bun, and she had this superior air surrounding her. She glanced over all of us in a cold manner. A few of the others cowered under her gaze.

"I am Daphne Greengrass, your Potions professor for the next seven years. To you, I am Professor Greengrass. I suggest that you not get on my bad side," At these words, she seemed to stare at Rose and Al.

Professor Greengrass lead us through a set of bronze doors and into the entrance hall. Simply saying, it was enormous. There were flaming torches sitting on the walls, and an elegant marble staircase leading to the upper floors. Compared to it all, I felt like an insignificant ant. The entire hall seemed to buzz with- well, _magic._

We were taken into a smaller chamber where there wasn't much standing room, "I am going to skip the entire 'welcome to Hogwarts' speech. While my colleagues might find it fit to educate you on the sorting and what each house represents, I do not. At Hogwarts, your house is just your group of friends, your sorority. Outside of Hogwarts, you will be judged according to your house. Oh, you are a Gryffindor? That must mean that you are a reckless jock. A Ravenclaw, you say? Well, you must be a genius whose head is stuck in a book all day. The sorting is not to be taken lightly. Today will determine your entire future."

Wow. That really helps calm the nerves, doesn't it? I looked around and saw the other firsties bouncing around nervously and even outright shaking. Scorpius leans over towards us, before muttering, "That was my Aunt Daphne. She's… well, you get the idea." At this, he jerked his head towards the departing woman. I did get the idea. She seemed strict, to a point of being downright cold.

"Must be fun to have at parties," Al snickers, and Scorpius just raises an eyebrow.

"Have you ever heard of a proper pureblood party? You sit there, for hours, until the adults decide to include you in their conversation. And when they do, you have to have the perfect answer, no smartass responses. If you step a toe out of line, you get locked in your room until the party's over. So Albus, I must agree with you, our parties are bundles of joy."

Al and I burst into laughter, and even Rose couldn't prevent a smile from crawling onto her face. After we controlled ourselves, Rose frowned. She looked over to Scorpius, and asked, "Your parties aren't really that bad, though, are they? I mean, even when Grandma Molly gets mad at us, she still lets us enjoy the party. She doesn't just lock us away."

Scorpius merely shrugged, "My parents- rather, my grandfather- has always been really strict."

"Strict is Gran not giving us cookies on Christmas because we broke one of Grandad's precious muggle artifacts. Strict is not getting locked in your room for hours because you chewed with your mouth open," Al added in shock.

"At least you guys have parents in the first place," I mutter bitterly under my breath. It wasn't fair. Since when did _they_ get to complain? They had families to love them, to nurture them, but me? Nope. Along with almost every other demigod at camp, I was abandoned, dropped at an orphanage. But life is never fair, is it?

They all looked down, ashamed of their actions. I instantly felt extremely guilty. It wasn't their faults that they had grown up in caring environments. They did nothing wrong. My temper had simply gotten the best of me.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," I told them sincerely.

"No, it's okay, we really can't be complaining when y-" Rose started, but stopped the moment Professor Greengrass swept back into the room.

"Form a straight line and follow me. No speaking, or consequences shall be delivered appropriately," she spoke, before leading us through a pair of double doors.

I gasped in amazement, along with the other first years. There were thousands and thousands of candles flickering under a ceiling of stars glimmering in the night sky. The same burning candles that were in the entrance hall were scattered across this larger hall. Four long wooden tables stretched down towards me, all of which had hundreds upon hundreds of students sitting on them. Their gazes were trained on us, following us as we walked down the hall. We eventually stopped in front of a frayed black hat resting on a wooden stool.

Everyone in the hall went completely silent. I looked around, wondering what we were all waiting for. Suddenly, the rim of the hat twitched, before it opened wide and sang:

 _Oh, all you may see is just a hat,_

 _All ripped up and frayed._

 _But that is not my purpose,_

 _Listen closely, here's how I was made:_

 _The four original Founders_

 _Didn't know where to start._

 _How can we group the students? They asked_

 _Sort them all apart?_

 _And that is why I was born,_

 _Even though now I am old and torn._

 _Oh, enough of that!_

 _Let's tell you how this all works._

 _In Gryffindor!_

 _You will conquer all your fears._

 _There is no risk that is too great,_

 _That you cannot face here._

 _In Hufflepuff!_

 _You will stay true to those real friends._

 _Even through the hardship,_

 _You're loyal to the end._

 _In Ravenclaw!_

 _You'll seek knowledge of all kinds._

 _If you are a Ravenclaw,_

 _You'll have a brilliant mind._

 _In Slytherin!_

 _You'll make your real goals there._

 _Those ambitious folk won't hesitate,_

 _How they get there, they don't care._

 _So place me upon your head,_

 _Come on now! Don't be shy!_

 _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,_

 _You like me! Don't just lie!_

The entire hall burst into applause and laughter as the hat finished its song. I joined along, thinking about how ridiculous the hat was. But then I remembered my mother was an immortal Greek goddess, and told my brain to shut up.

"When I call your name, you will come up and put the hat on your head," Professor Greengrass said, "Abbott, Daniel."

A blond boy walked up towards the hat and plonked it onto his head. The hat sat there for a few moments, before yelling out, "RAVENCLAW!"

A table filled with students wearing blue ties stood up and clapped as the boy walked over towards them. I figured this must be the Ravenclaw table. Even without the boy going over towards them, it was easy to tell they were Ravenclaws. They looked the most intellectually capable.

"Avery, Cordelia," A pale girl with ebony black hair walked up to the hat confidently. She placed it upon her head, and in about half a second, before I could comprehend anything that had happened, the hat screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

She strolled over to a table of green and silver which was applauding politely. After what I had read, I had imagined the Slytherins to be a bunch of rude, evil, overconfident gits with a bunch of rich fathers. And sure, they didn't look like the types of people who would go frolicking through the meadow with me, but they didn't look _that_ bad. I just shrugged it off before realizing something.

"Black, Carina," Professor Greengrass called out, her voice ringing around me. My name was followed by whispers spreading throughout the hall.

" _Black? As in, the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black?"_

" _I thought that line died out after Sirius Black,"_

" _She can't possibly be related to them, could she?"_

I tried to ignore the murmurs as I walked up towards the hat. I felt the rough, wore down material of the hat before sitting down upon the stool and placing the hat over my head.

 _ **Ah, a demigod. Haven't seen one of you in a while.**_

"AH! I yelped, fortunately not too loud. I heard a few chuckles from around the hall, before I focused my attention back onto the hat.

" _ **Yep, I speak. A Daughter of Athena, eh? I wonder why the Lady of Wisdom would possibly break the oath.**_

 _And you expect me to know? Plus, how are you even speaking to me? You are an inanimate object. And how'd you know I was a demigod? Do you know other things too? What is the purpose of our dreadfully short human lives? When were the first potatoes ever created? What is my favorite c-_

 _ **Calm down, child. I had almost forgotten what children with ADHD behaved like. Almost. Anyway, no I do not expect you to know why the oath was broken, I am speaking to you since I am supposed to sort you, I was an inanimate object before I was charmed, I know you're a demigod since I have seen your kind before, yes I know other things, the purpose of humanity is your own opinion, I do not know when the first potatoes were created, and your favorite color is blue. Is that enough information for you?**_

 _If you are not sure of every bit of information, and you say that you've 'seen my kind before', does that mean you can read minds?_ I immediately throw up my mind barriers, trying to stop the hat from inspecting my memories.

 _ **Attempting to block your mind from me won't do that much, child. Although I must say that I am impressed that you can do such a thing.**_

I felt my life flash before my eyes. When I was young, at the orphanage in New Jersey. When I ran away, and met Este. Getting to camp, and finding out about my heritage. Learning about the war, and fighting in it. Seeing my friends die before my very eyes. The war finally ending after so many losses. And finally, getting my letter to Hogwarts.

 _ **Ah, a tough one, are you? Plenty of courage, I see. Definitely intelligent, what else would you expect? Loyal, yes. Cunning, when the time requires it. You could do well in any of the houses. Hmm…**_

I just sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to think. Then I remembered one of my thoughts from earlier.

 _Um, excuse me, Mr. Hat? What if a student doesn't belong anywhere? Or they have an equal aptitude for multiple houses? What do you do with them?_

 _ **I assure you, never in all my years has a student not belonged to a house. Every single student has had something that defined who they truly were. I used that to sort them. And if a child does have an equal aptitude for different houses, I will let them choose which house they will join. A wise old man once said 'It is our choices that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities'. He couldn't be more correct.**_

 _Wait, say a student was more Ravenclaw than they were Hufflepuff, but they valued Hufflepuff traits. Would they be put into Hufflepuff?_

 _ **Most likely, yes. But I am supposed to be sorting you, am I not? Well, however loyal you are, I do not think Hufflepuff would be the best match. You may be loyal and hard-working, but you are not like the rest of them. If a friend was dying for the greater good, you'd know that their sacrifice would have to be made. Plus, you aren't the kindest of the bunch, either.**_

 _Yeah, I'd figured that much out myself. And I'm assuming that I'm not going to be in Slytherin, right?_

 _ **Again, correct. While you certainly exhibit ambition and cunning, you would not follow Slytherin means unless necessary. If you didn't have to use trickery and deception, you wouldn't. And while clearly ambitious, you realize there are more important things. So no, not Slytherin.**_

 _And then there were two._

 _ **Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Normally, I wouldn't hesitate to put a Daughter of Athena in Ravenclaw. But then we have that bravery. I can see into your future, young girl, and it's not going to be easy. You will use your mind, and your heart. Now I have to decide which is more important to you. Wisdom, or courage?**_

The hat just sat on my head, silently pondering for what seemed like an eternity. And apparently, it did take quite a while, since the students seemed to start whispering and pointing at me. I was sure that the other kids' sortings didn't take this long. I started impatiently tapping my foot on the ground.

 _Come on, Mr. Hat, what's taking so long? This obviously isn't normal, judging by the whispers and stares. And if you can see into the future, then don't you already know what house I'm in? I mean, I'm pretty sure my house would be in my future._

 _ **Slow down, child. Normally, eleven year olds' personalities aren't as… complicated as yours. And yes, this isn't normal, it's what the wizarding folk call a "hatstall". It's when a student takes over five minutes to get sorted. And as for your last question, yes, I do already know what house you will be in. But time and space has many laws, young one, and it would be best for you to not worry about it. Regarding my choice for your house, I seemed to have made the right decision. While you are definitely extremely intelligent and wise, no doubt, there is something much stronger. Something that resonates in every demigods' soul, yet your's shines brighter. That courage. That strength in the face of your deadliest fear. And you, you understand how important that is. You may even possibly value bravery over your own intelligence. And that is why I have made this decision…**_

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat screamed out across the hall. The table on the far left burst out into cheers and roars. I quickly glanced across the hall. The table on the middle left, which I figured must be the Hufflepuff table, was clapping politely. The Ravenclaw table was eyeing me like I was some sort of object to examine and investigate. The Slytherins were just glaring.

I walked over to the table of red and gold. Since I was the first person to be sorted into Gryffindor, I didn't know where to sit. While I was slowly ambling over, a tall brunette, who looked about 15 or 16, came towards me.

"Hello! I'm Nessa Desmond, the 5th year Gryffindor prefect. You should probably go and sit over there," she said, pointing towards an empty patch near the end of the table, "and wait for the other first years. But if you want to sit with the older kids while you are waiting for the others, feel free to." She offered me a small smile which I returned.

I sat down at the far end of the table, waiting for the other first years. I watched as a boy got sorted into Hufflepuff. Then…

"Deverill, Evangelina." The girl who I had met in Diagon Alley was skipping over to the hat. After about a minute, the hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

I clapped loudly, and the girl looked my way and smiled. After that I spaced out, hearing clapping and cheering every now and then. I could feel a few others coming to sit down next to me, but I didn't really care. I was in that state of inattentiveness for the next few minutes, until I heard Professor Greengrass say, "Malfoy, Scorpius."

I looked up and saw the boy trying to stay calm as he walked up toward the hat. I watched as he looked to grow frustrated with the hat after a minute. From the whispers I heard, this was the longest it had ever taken to sort a Malfoy. Scorpius scrunched up his face, and looked as if he was having some sort of argument. After another minute passed by, an expression of defeat came over his face. The moment it did, the hat screamed out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Whispers flew across the hall rapidly. Scorpius awkwardly walked over to the Gryffindor table, hiding his face as he sat down next to me.

"Keep your head up. The more you hide, the more they talk. Don't be an easy target." I muttered into his ear. He took a deep breath and lifted his head towards the students. Most of them continued talking, nonetheless quieter, but some of the apparently nicer children stopped.

Again, I spaced out. Do you think there's a spell that cures ADHD and dyslexia? Because that would've been extremely useful…

Gasps and murmurs resounded throughout the hall as "Potter, Albus" was called up. He briskly walked up to the hat, and dumped it on top of his head. He sat there for a minute, seemingly growing annoyed with the hat. Eventually, the hat yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Al walked over to the Gryffindor table as they cheered and roared noisily. He slid into the bench next to Scorpius. Like Scorpius, he had his head down and ignored all of the cheering and shouting. I then looked up towards Rose. Even though she was doing nothing to draw anyone's attention, dozens of eyes were on her. She also was avoiding eye contact, and tried to hide behind the others waiting in line. In that moment, I realized something. They were all trying to escape their pasts. Or rather, they were trying to escape their parents' pasts. All throughout their lives, they seem to have been judged and labeled. And all they wanted was to escape those labels, to make their own identity.

In a way, I could relate. My mother was the immortal Greek goddess of wisdom. That didn't exactly set the bar low. I was always expected to get straight A's, to make the smartest choice. Was I expected to do anything other than using my brain? No, of course not. And being a demigod didn't help either. Everyday, I had to fear for my life. I didn't know when my final day was going to be. Today? Tomorrow? In five years?

While I was pondering on my existence, I didn't acknowledge the people getting sorted. Well, at least until I heard Professor Greengrass call out, "Weasley, Rose."

Again, whispers spread like rapid fire. Rose kept her head up, however, staring intently at a wall. She sat down on the stool and gently placed the hat on her head. The hat sat on her head for quite a long time. It didn't seem nearly as long as my sorting, though. After a few minutes, the hat bellowed out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The entire Gryffindor table burst into applause and cheers. Rose briskly walked over to our table and seated herself next to Al. The sorting came to a close soon after. An older woman wearing emerald-green robes stood up. An aura of authority shrouded her, and I assumed that this was Headmistress McGonagall.

"Welcome, or welcome back to Hogwarts. For those of you who do not know, I am Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor of this school. I will save lectures for later on in my class, and not delay you from this wonderful food. Let the feast begin!"

Suddenly, hundreds of platters stuffed with food popped up in front of us. Roast beef, roast chicken, sausages, baked potatoes, pudding, pies, every food that you could ever imagine was laying in front on me.

"Wait, we can actually eat all of this? Like, any of it?" I muttered to Scorpius. He nodded before grabbing some roast beef and digging into it.

The feast was definitely extraordinary. It wasn't like camp, where you could wish for anything to appear onto your plate, but that didn't make it any less amazing. I piled as much food as I possibly could onto my plate. I then… shoved heaps of food into my mouth with no manners whatsoever.

Rose scrunched up her face in disgust. I gulped down my food before smiling towards her.

"Hey, I'm a growing girl who needs to eat. Plus, where I come from, manners aren't exactly… well, top priority." By that, I meant that we had food fights every other day and chased each other around with knives.

Rose merely rolled her eyes (seriously? again?) before daintily biting into some beef. After I finished eating about three times my weight, Headmistress McGonagall got onto her feet to make an announcement.

"Now that you have all eaten quite enough, I will make some start-of-term notices. Number 1, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden, and no student, unless directed to do so, will enter it. Do I make myself clear?" she said, looking at one exact spot on the Gryffindor table, where James Potter and a ginger boy I could only assume was a Weasley.

"Secondly, magic is not to be used against another student for any reason whatsoever. Do you understand?"

"Lastly, Quidditch tryouts will be held during the third week of term. Only students in or above their second year are allowed to try to join their house team. I do not want any first years trying to sneak onto the pitch. Understood?"

"Prefects, please lead the students up to their dormitories. I wish you all a wonderful first night at Hogwarts," she finished, sitting back down onto her chair. Suddenly, everyone was getting up and exiting the hall. Then I heard a voice yell, "First years! Follow me!"

Nessa waved us over. We walked up flights and flights of stairs, most of which kept moving and switching directions. And as if climbing them wasn't already hard enough, there were trick steps scattered across the staircases. By the time we got to the Gryffindor tower, two of the girls had gotten their feet stuck in trick steps, and one boy had almost fallen off of a staircase. I heard one of the girls complain about how this walk was going to ruin her pedicure.

"Veterum virtusque," Nessa said to the portrait of a large woman wearing a frilly pink dress. "Remember that. You'll need the password to get into the common room." I realized a few seconds later that veterum virtusque meant 'bravery and courage' in Latin.

The portrait swung open, revealing a room made of red and gold. The couches, armchairs, walls, everything was in varying shades of those colors. We didn't get much to time to look around, however, as the girls were directed right towards the girls' dorms. Once we got inside, I didn't spend much time examining my surroundings. I found my four-poster bed, collapsed onto the soft covers, and saw black as I fell into Hypno's realm.

 **A/N~ Sorry for the long wait! School had been really busy, I had my karate test, three dance recitals, and multiple dance pictures. I promise that I'll try to update more quickly now it's SUMMER! Anyways, did you like the chapter? It isn't that good, but I tried my best! Hope you liked it!**


	7. Memories of Old and Magical Classes

_**Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. I never will.**_

 _ **(P.S~ Italics mean either dream or flashback)**_

" _The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power."_ _-Unknown_

 **Carina POV**

 _The trees were flying past me as I sprinted through the forest. All I could think of was getting away. Leaving that awful orphanage. I knew that it would be dangerous to run away with only a limited supply of food and water, but I preferred it over staying at that horrid place._

 _I set up base on the outskirts of the forest. Sure, it wasn't luxury, but it was what I needed. There were sources of food and water nearby, and monsters tended to avoid going far away from the depths of the woods._

 _I stayed there for days. As hard as it was to admit, I was confused. I couldn't camp out in the forest for the rest of my life, but I had nowhere to go. So I stayed there, making silent pleas to every force out there that something, anyone would save me._

 _Then, one day, something happened. I was trying to find some food, when suddenly, I saw an enormous shadow loom up from behind a tree. I pulled out the hunting knife that I'd stolen from the orphanage and pointed it towards the tree, slowly backing away. Emerging from behind the wood was a_ _Hyperborean Giant. It charged toward me at full speed, and I barely managed to roll away in time. I got back onto my feet and ducked behind a tree, but not before his long spear-like weapon nicked my shoulder. I gritted my teeth in pain before swinging my legs up onto a branch of the tree. From there, I was high enough to slash at the Giant's face. Before long, however, I realized that my small hunting knife wasn't going to do much to the Hyperborean's tough skin. I climbed up to a higher branch and continued swinging at the monster, despite knowing that it was in vain._

 _Suddenly, as if my prayers had been answered, I heard something. An arrow whizzed past my shoulder, hurtling itself into the Giant's eye, and temporarily blinding it. The new girl tossed me a dagger made out of a shiny bronze material before nocking an arrow and firing it at the Hyperborean. Eventually, all that remained of the monster was the golden dust laying across the grass, and the cuts that were scattered across the arms of the new girl and I._

 _She had seemed to notice my gaze, and replied, "Hey, I'm Estefania Brooks. But please, call me Este."_

 _Time flashed forward. Now it was two years later, and Este glanced towards me. With a fierce look of determination in her blue eyes, she charged onwards. The daughter of Apollo pulled back her bowstring, aiming an arrow at the manticore. And then I saw it. Before I could do anything, say anything, a wall of Greek fire blazed toward Este and four other campers. I couldn't see anything, but I heard her piercing screech cut through the air, and that was enough_

" _Este? ESTE!" I screamed as I ran past monsters and demigods alike to her. Falling down onto the ground beside her, I examined my best friend. She had burns covering her; her arms, her legs, her face, they were all glowing red._

" _Cara…" she whispered, her voice cracking. I pulled a few ambrosia squares out of my bag, and forced them into her mouth. Her cuts started closing, making an effort to heal themselves, before reopening, looking just as bad as they did earlier._

" _Cara, it's over. The burns aren't healing. We both know that Greek fire is deadly," she croaked out. Of course I already knew that. Greek fire was fatal, especially when used to this extent. But even a daughter of Athena abandons logic when faced with loss._

" _I was always the one that complained about the universe being shit. I should be the one leaving it. Not you," I complained in vain. She attempted to smile, but it turned out resembling a grimace._

" _Remember Cara, whatever you do, stay determined. There's going to be haters everywhere you go, monsters trying to kill you every chance they get. But you can't let them stop you. You've got to keep fighting, crushing those bastards' pathetic faces. And I know you will, you stubborn bitch," I internally smiled, knowing her colorful language would manage to prevail even after death, "But just in case you ever feel any doubt, remember this. If you ever want to give up, keep fighting. If not for yourself, do it for me. Do it for your siblings. Do it for us. And if you do give up, Carina Black, I'll give you hell in, well, hell."_

 _I looked her straight in her bright, shining blue eyes and spoke, "I promise I won't give up, Este, no matter what stands in my way. I won't lose hope, even when it may be my final hour," I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what I was about to say, "I swear this on the River Styx."_

 _Thunder rumbled above me, sealing my oath. Este flicked her eyes upwards to look at the sky and smiled, a true smile this time. She looked at me and murmured, "Tell all my friends that I'm sorry. I wish that I could stay longer too, but the Fates really don't seem to like me." We both exchanged a look and giggled, before returning to our solemn moods. "Goodbye, Cara. I'll miss you."_

" _I'll miss you too," I whispered. She gave me one last grin, before her usually joyful eyes went misty and her heartbeat came to a finish. I sighed, before realizing that I was still on a battlefield and in the midst of a war. I got up and, like I told her I would do, continued to fight._

I woke up with a start. I looked around at my surroundings, wondering why I wasn't lying under the cozy grey blankets of Cabin 6. Then it hit me. I was at _Hogwarts_. I pushed myself out of bed, and examined my environment. I was sitting upon scarlet sheets, with scarlet curtains that were embellished with gold hanging around me. I then observed five other four-poster beds positioned throughout the room, one of which seemed to be empty.

Hopping off of my bed, I pulled a set of clean robes out from my suitcase. As I walked over to the bathroom, another girl opened the door and stepped out. This girl had shoulder-length chestnut hair, and dark eyes that looked as if they were a never ending black hole.

"Hey. I'm Cara Black," I said, holding my hand out. She shook it, and replied, "Chelsea Goldstein. Pleasure to meet you."

She nodded her head before walking out of the dorms. I stepped into the bathroom and took a quick shower before changing into my new robes. I noticed that my tie, which was before black, had become red and gold. It was odd. I looked so… different when I was wearing robes. I was used to seeing myself in the orange Camp Half-Blood that every demigod owned. I shook my head, vanishing the stray thoughts before I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and walked out of the restroom.

-Line Break-

I was walking towards the Great Hall, my backpack full of course books slung over my shoulder. A few minutes ago, I had acquainted myself with my roommates. There was obviously Rose, who was definitely the girl that I felt closest with. There was also Chelsea Goldstein, who seemed extremely quiet and reserved. Apart from those two, I had three other roommates. First there was Melissa Richmond, a muggle-born witch who seemed a bit haughty, but otherwise alright. She had curly black hair and chocolate-colored skin, which contrasted greatly from her jade green eyes.

Next, there was Heather Hollingsworth. The half-blood witch was relaxed and laid-back, and was epitome of what people thought of as cool. She had wavy auburn hair that reached her waist, and chocolate brown eyes.

Lastly, there was Camille Fawley. She was a poised, pure-blood witch who practically radiated elegance and superiority. She had long, golden-blonde hair that fell in soft curls, and baby-blue eyes that seemed to glimmer every so often. Out of all the girls in our dormitory, she definitely seemed like the queen bee.

Now that I think about it, she quite reminds me of a certain member of the Aphrodite Cabin. (I'm looking at you, Drew Tanaka.)

Anyways, back to the present. Rose and I took our seats at the Gryffindor table, waiting for the boys to come down. We both probably should've used this time to get to know the other girls, but I felt quite content with my little group of friends. Whether it was the Fates pulling strings or just pure luck, we somehow all ended up in Gryffindor. And I, in that moment, was quite glad it happened like that.

Eventually, Al and Scorpius came running down the stairs. They sat down on the bench next to us just as a devilishly handsome man who looked to be in his thirties walked towards our table. He started handing out little pieces of paper to the other students, and ultimately made his way down the table to us. As soon as he got to our end of the table, Al and Rose both jumped out of their seats. I cast a glance towards Scorpius, wondering what was going on.

"Hey Uncle Neville!" Al said enthusiastically as "Neville" handed him a bit of parchment. For some reason, that name sounded awfully familiar. I just couldn't remember from where I'd first heard it for the life of me.

"That's Professor Longbottom to you, Mr. Potter," he said, grinning slightly. So he was Neville Longbottom. From what I remember, he was a friend of the Golden Trio, and the leader of Dumbledore's Army in his seventh year. He winked at both cousins before giving the rest of us our papers and walking away.

 _Monday~_

 _Defense Against the Dark Arts, 9:00 AM_

 _Transfiguration, 10:30 AM_

 _Potions, 1:30 PM_

 _Charms, 3:00 PM_

 _Tuesday~_

 _Herbology, 9:00 AM_

 _History of Magic, 10:30 AM_

 _Transfiguration 1:30 PM_

 _Charms, 3:00 PM_

 _Astronomy, 9:00 PM_

 _Wednesday~_

 _Transfiguration, 9:00 AM_

 _Herbology, 10:30 AM_

 _History of Magic, 1:30 PM_

 _Potions, 3:00 PM_

 _Thursday~_

 _Charms, 9:00 AM_

 _Transfiguration, 10:30 AM_

 _Defense Against the Dark Arts, 1:30 PM_

 _Potions, 3:00 PM_

 _Astronomy, 9:00 PM_

 _Friday~_

 _History of Magic, 9:00 AM_

 _Charms, 10:30 AM_

 _Herbology, 1:30 PM_

 _Defense Against the Dark Arts, 3:00 PM_

I stared down at my schedule. It was a Wednesday, so that meant that I had Transfiguration in twenty minutes. I looked over at Rose's schedule. It looked exactly the same as mine. I was glad that we had all of our classes together, since I really didn't want to be dumped into a classroom where I knew no one. It turned out that Al, Scorpius, and the rest of the first-year Gryffindors all had classes together. I looked around at my classmates, and couldn't hold back a smile. I don't know how, but I already knew that this was going to be a very interesting year.

-Line Break-

I had just gotten out of the Great Hall and was making my way to the Transfiguration classroom. Apparently, since the castle seemed to hate me, Rose, Al, Scorpius and I all got stuck on a moving staircase that took us to the fifth floor. Luckily, we did manage to sprint to class right before it began. I slid into the seat right next to Rose, and Al and Scorpius sat down right behind the both of us.

I looked around, waiting for Professor McGonagall to enter the classroom. As I searched for the teacher, I noticed that the rest of the first-years seemed just as perplexed as I was. From what I had heard, the aforementioned professor was extremely strict and not the type to be late to a casual meetup, much less her own class.

Then, I spotted an odd detail. While the rest of the class was in absolute confusion, Al and Rose seemed especially… calm.

"What's the deal," I whispered in Rose's ear, hoping to find out what in the name of Hades was going on.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," she said, grinning, before turning around and rummaging through her backpack.

I sighed before resting my chin on my hand. While waiting for class to start, I started fiddling with my quill. Having to wait for long periods of time was a fear to most ADHD kids. After what seemed like an hour passed (it was actually only two minutes), Professor McGonagall still hadn't arrived. What I didn't realize was that as the time passed, the simple twirls that I was doing with quill became quite… dramatic. The quill slipped from my fingers, and I barely managed to catch it before it hit the ground. Why is this important, you ask? Because when I looked up, I noticed something strange. There was a cat.

Yes, I know, it sounds like I'm making a big deal out of nothing. I can see the headlines now: _A Cat Exists Somewhere._ But this cat was, to put it simply, odd. She (He? It?) was being unusually still. She had a stiff posture, one that you'd expect from a stern or uptight human. Her eyes stared forward sharply, in a way that I knew that no cats' eyes could. She glanced towards me, before something spectacular happened.

The cat morphed into a human being. No joke. Standing there was Professor McGonagall, in all her glory. Everyone in the room gawked at her in shock. That is, everyone but Al and Rose.

They were just staring straight forward, failing to hide the grins that were crawling up their faces.

"You both knew the entire time, didn't you? You knew that McGonagall was an animagus?" I asked them. Scorpius was nodding along, the shock wearing off of his face.

"Aunt Hermione was having a cup of tea with McGonagall. We saw her change from her cat form into her human form," Al responded smugly. Before either of us could respond, Professor McGonagall began talking.

"Before any of you ask, yes, I am an animagus. For those of you who do not know, an animagus is a human capable of transforming into an animal at will. I will not be going into detail now, as you will learn about the characteristics and behavior of animagi in a later school year. Moving on, I am Professor McGonagall, your Headmistress and Transfiguration teacher. In this class, I have a few rules." She had pulled out her wand and manipulated the chalk into writing everything she said on the chalkboard.

"Number one: I will not tolerate any fooling around. Transfiguration is a precise art, and a single mistake could have disastrous consequences. Understood?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall," we all said in complete harmony. Her words sounded almost like charmspeak; you had to listen to them, and you had no choice in the matter.

"Number two: What I say is what goes. I will _not_ have students disrespecting my every order. Okay?

"Yes, Professor McGonagall."

"Now that we have that cleared up, we'll move on to the lesson. First thing we are going to learn about…"

About half an hour later, the theoretical part of the lesson was over, and we were moving on to the practical part. We had learned about the basis of Transfiguration, and how the simplest of feats, such as turning a match into a needle, could lead to the most extraordinary of feats, such as turning a closet into a statue.

Professor McGonagall started to pass out matches to all of the students. We were told to turn the matches into needles. How, you ask? Through the power of magic.

I stared down skeptically at the match, wondering how in Hades I was going to do this. I mean, it was a _match_. How was I going to turn it into a needle? And what if I messed up? What if I turned the match into a crazy, murderous chicken?

Rose seemed to have realized I had become lost in my thoughts. She nudged me before nodding towards my match. I rolled my eyes pulling out my wand and flicking it towards the match.

Nothing happened.

I merely groaned as I smacked my head on the table. I knew that I wasn't cut out for this magic-thing. I sighed, before picking my head up and pointing my wand directly at the match. I couldn't just give up. I was a demigod-witch, a demi-witch, or whatever you'd like to call me. I wasn't going to be defeated by a fucking _match_.

I thought back to McGonagall's lecture. _"Transfiguration is a very precise art. A small mistake could lead to catastrophic outcomes. But there is one thing that is needed to successfully transfigure any object. Confidence. Without it, you will not be able to transfigure the tiniest of objects. You have to believe that the article can transform into something else, and that you are capable of doing it. Without this, no matter how many theoretical concepts you learn, you will be inept at Transfiguration."_

I stared raptly at the match. _You are Carina Black. You have fought some of the most deadly monsters and won. You have worked your ass off, and now are the Athena Cabin's second-in-command. You are practically unbeatable with a knife. You currently are in a school of magic, and you are going to be the best witch that you can goddamn be. You are Carina Black, and you will not be bested by a match._

I flicked my wand in the appropriate movement, and watched as the match slowly became silver and pointy. I carefully picked up the needle that now laid in front of me. While I was gaping at my handiwork, Professor McGonagall had walked over and plucked the needle out of my hand. She examined it thoroughly before placing it back onto the desk.

"10 points to Gryffindor for Ms. Black transfiguring her match almost flawlessly." she stated, stepping away from my desk. Rose simply gawked at me.

"How did you do that so quickly?" she asked me, confusion drawn across her face. I looked down at her match. The tip of it seemed slightly less blunt than before, but other than that, there were no obvious changes. I smiled lightly.

"She wasn't making it all up, you know," I said, nodding towards McGonagall, "about the confidence thing. You just have to trust that you can do it, and once that belief enters you, Transfiguration will be a piece of cake." Rose looked at me gratefully before taking a deep breath and aiming her wand at her match. A couple of minutes later, Rose had nearly managed to transfigure her match into a needle precisely.

By the end of class, the two of us were the only ones able to make significant changes to our matches. Some of our classmates were coming over to ask us how we did it. All I had said was, "Believe in yourself." They'd all dismissed it as ridiculous, but little did they know that that was the actual key to success.

I walked out of the classroom merrily, wondering what wonders the rest of the day held.

-Line Break-

I had just gotten out of History of Magic, and was making my way down to the dungeons. So far, classes had been pretty good. I found Transfiguration extremely simple, since all you needed was concentration and confidence. Herbology was also fun, as Professor Longbottom seemed to be the most laid-back teacher known to wizardkind. He told us everything we needed to know about Herbology before letting us explore the greenhouse at free-will. History of Magic was a bit of a joke, to be honest. All of the actual history was quite interesting, but the ghost just droned on… and on… and on. In fact, someone could just play an audiobook version of _A History of Magic_ for all I cared. It would still be a better teacher than Binns.

Right before we stepped through the door and into the Potions classroom, Scorpius stopped abruptly. Al, Rose, and I halted to a stop soon after, watching as Scorpius' breathing grew heavier and heavier.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, mate?" Al inquired.

Scorpius leaned against the dungeon walls, tilting his head back as he sighed out of frustration. The three of us exchanged a look, before Al bumped into Scorpius' shoulder.

"Alright, alright, fine. It's just that my Aunt Daphne is in there. And she's the first family member that I'm going to have to talk to post-Sorting Ceremony. And I don't think that she'll be very pleased."

"Believe it or not, Malfoy, your aunt can't murder you in her own classroom." Rose retorted. I just gave her a look that clearly said _is now really the time?_

Al decided to interject before things got more heated. "I think what she means, mate, is that you don't need to worry about your aunt. Uncle Fred was a bit annoyed when Roxie got into Slytherin, but he got over it in, like, a week."

"You guys don't understand, do you? I'm probably the first Malfoy to be sorted into Gryffindor in a century. And the Malfoys that were sorted into Gryffindor? They were disowned, at best. At worst…" He left the thought eerily hanging in the air, leaving the rest to our imaginations.

"Listen," I said confidently, hoping my message would sink through, "You're a Gryffindor, and that's not going to change. Your family may not be pleased with you, and who knows if they ever will? But you can't let them get to you. If your relatives are really family, they'll be able to see through these labels and accept you for who you truly are."

"And if they don't?" Scorpius said unsurely, although you could see some of the previous worry slipping from his face.

"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," I quoted, smiling. I started walking towards the marble door and pulled on the doorknob before Al bumped into me.

"So you're going to be that friend, huh?" I just raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was going on about.

He then furture elaborated, "The one who makes all the dramatic speeches and is a walking, talking fortune cookie. Like the ones that give you the really cheesy sayings that everybody recognizes but nobody follows."

I just laugh at his ridiculous analogy. "Are you comparing me to a knock-off fortune cookie?"

"Maybe." He smiled before walking into the dungeons. Scorpius, Rose and I followed shortly after, and we all sat down at a table together.

Right when the clock hit three, Professor Greengrass entered the classroom. She wore green robes that clearly represented the Slytherin house, and her hair was pulled up into a regal bun atop her head. She sauntered to the front of her desk, her gaze sweeping across the classroom. Her eyes seemed to stop at certain students, the four of us included. First she had glared at Al and Rose, her hatred for their parents clearly shining through. Next she glanced at me. To my surprise, it wasn't the look of disgust that greeted most of my fellow Gryffindors, but rather a look of intrigue. As if I was an object that was to be examined and investigated. I was quite unnerved by her gaze, but held it, and only relaxed when she looked to my right.

She was staring at Scorpius. I could immediately tell that she had put up what I liked to call "the mask". It's basically a shield that hides your face and covers your true emotions. However, when you haven't had to use the mask time and time again, you end up leaving small holes in your shield. I could tell that Professor Greengrass was, in simple terms, disappointed. From everything that I had read about the pureblood-fanatic families, plus all of the details that Scorpius had mentioned, I knew that there had to be a lot of pressure on him. He was the sole heir to one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and that meant that the Malfoys' image from then on out depended on him. And for the perfect, pureblooded-Slytherin reputation that the Malfoys' had to be tarnished- well, let's just say that I could see why Astoria Greengrass wasn't all rainbows and sunshine.

She let go of her stare, before turning her gaze to the rest of us.

She then addressed the entire class. "I am your new Potions Professor, Astoria Greengrass. You all shall call me Professor Greengrass," she lectured before flicking her wand at the board so it wrote everything she said. She then continued, "Potions is not an art based on waving around your wands and muttering incantations. Potions are…" Her head snapped to the other side of the class, "precision. One wrong ingredient could result in catastrophe. Because of this, I have made your first assignment remarkably simple. All you have to do is make me a cure for boils. The instructions are on the board, so you may begin." She waved her wand at the board once more, this time making the instructions appear onto the blackboard from nowhere.

Rose volunteered to get the ingredients for our table, leaving me to struggle to decipher the words chalked on the board. Although I had mastered how to read English when it was in a basic font, reading Professor Greengrass' curly, loopy letters was a strain to the eyes.

I raised my hand into the air, ignoring the look that Scorpius gave me that clearly said _are you mental?_ Greengrass seemed to notice my hand, and looked at me curiously before asking, "Yes, Ms. Black, what is your concern?"

"I'm sorry for the trouble, Professor, but is there a paper copy of the instructions for this potion? I'm dyslexic, and it's incredibly difficult for me to read your handwriting," I spoke. Rose gawked at me for a second before asking in confusion, "You're dyslexic? But you enjoyed reading and the sort on the train ride… and you never told us that you're dyslexic? Why did you not tell us?"

I just shrugged, "Never came up in conversation, I guess." The real reason that I didn't say anything about my dyslexia was that it probably would've brought up questions. And questions are the last thing I want right now.

"What, are you know going to have ten other disorders that you haven't told us about?" Al said jokingly, obviously not meaning it. I laughed awkwardly before hesitantly replying, "Actually, I have ADHD too."

The three of them looked just at me in disbelief, before Professor Greengrass silenced them with a glare. She then replied, "Of course I can get you a copy of the instructions. However, there may be a few spells that could help you cope with your condition. Do tell me, is there anything that does make reading less of a struggle for you?"

I sensed that I had dug myself into a bit of hole. I could either lie and just struggle with Potions for the rest of time, or tell them that I could easily read Greek and Latin but have to deal with the consequences. I eventually gave up and decided that my education was too important, and that I'd probably just have to come up with some half-truths.

"Um… well, is there any possible way to switch the language of the directions?" I ask quietly, hoping not to draw the attention of the other students.

"Yes, there are quite a few charms that can switch their language. Though, I would need to know what language that I would be changing the instructions too," she replied loftily. Unfortunately, our conversation seemed to have caught the attention of my classmates, and now all of them were listening to me.

"Latin or Ancient Greek will do, Professor," I responded, praying to every deity out there that everyone magically forgot that both languages were dead.

Apparently, the gods hated me. Literally each and every student in the classroom looked at me like I'd gone insane. I shrugged it off, attempting to smile back at all of the confused looks.

Professor Greengrass looked at me strangely. She then proceeded to flick her wand at a dusty Potions book lying on the cabinet shelf. The book flew over to my desk, and when I opened it, I could read it easily. Clearly. I flipped through a few pages, before I got to a page that was labeled _'Cure for Boils'_. But when I was about to start to make the potion, I felt a hard jab to my side. I glanced over and saw Rose with raised eyebrows, giving me a look that basically asked _what the hell was that?_

I came up with a quick cover story. "My mom's side of the family is entirely Greek. She taught me how to read it at a young age. It comes much much easier to me then English." She looked at me suspiciously before getting back to her potion. I sighed in relief, realizing that I would have to be much more careful in the future.

I eventually finished my potion. The book said that my potion was supposed to be a sky blue, and my potion was more of a baby blue. I looked around. I glanced towards Rose's potion, and it looked like it was a light blue color. Scorpius' potion was a very, very dark blue color that was nearly black. I then stared at Al's potion. It was a perfect sky blue color, and even he was looking at it like he was imagining things.

Rose glared angrily at her potion, "How did you get it to do that?" Al simply shrugged confusedly. Soon after, Professor Greengrass came around to take a look at our potions. She strolled past most of my classmates, looking down with distaste towards the various shades of purple, green, and brown. The only time where she had even showed a sliver of hesitation was when she had gotten to Al's potion. She had snapped out of it quickly though, and walked back towards her desk. She sat back down before saying, "Your homework is to write me a page on the origin of the the Cure for Boils. Due tomorrow." She flicked her wand, bottling all of our potions and labeling them. Only a few seconds later, the bell rung. We all rushed out of our last class, going wherever we were going to spend the rest of our day. I grinned, remembering that while the day was coming to a close, the adventure that I was about to embark on had just begun.

-(Another) Line Break-

Rose, Al, Scorpius, and I all were sitting on a couch near the common room fireplace. Usually the older students were the first ones to get the comfy seats next to the fire, but some 4th years gave us their seats when Al told them he would get them his dad's autograph. So now Rose and I were working on our Potions essay while the boys were playing a game of Exploding Snap.

I dipped my quill into my ink jar and wrote the final word of my essay. Why witches and wizards were still using quills in the twenty-first century, I had no clue. I mean, imagine if the world just stopped using cars and decided to use horse-drawn carriages for transportation instead. Like, _what_? It makes no sense.

Anyway, while I was internally ranting about the magical world's technological progression, a bunch of the cards that Al and Scorpius were playing with began to explode. Well, I guess that's why it's called Exploding Snap.

Soon after, the four of us decided to call it a night. Rose and I went up to the girls' dorms, and Al and Scorpius walked over to the boys' dorms. After brushing my hair and changing into my pyjamas, I sat down on my bed. I was about to finally get some shut-eye, before my peace was rudely interrupted by a wailing noise. I looked around and saw a vulture-like creature sitting on the windowsill. It was quite beautiful, with green and black feathers and a sharp beak. When the bird saw me, it immediately flew away. Odd, I had thought. But I thought nothing more of it, and fell back onto the soft covers of my bed.

 _ **A/N~ Just some quick clarifications- This story is set in the year of 2009. I did this for two reasons:**_

 _ **This matches up perfectly with the Percy Jackson timeline.**_

 _ **If I wanted this to match up with the Harry Potter timeline, I'd have a slight issue. September 2nd (AKA when term starts) of this year will be a Saturday. Therefore, classes wouldn't be able to start until September 4th. I didn't want to have 2 days of Cara doing nothing, so I did this.**_

 _ **Now I'm going to start addressing some of the reviews. Special thanks to MidgleyMacbeth and DeathBreathssis for leaving kind reviews. I really do appreciate it. And a butt kicking assassin, unfortunately I didn't get to that this chapter, but it will most likely be in the next.**_

 _ **And if you're still reading, SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! They've been giving us bucketloads of homework everyday at school, and then add extracurricular activities, and you get no time at all. Also, sorry that this was mainly a filler, we'll get to some of the main plot next chapter. Thx for reading!**_

 _ **-S**_


	8. Mesmerizing Voices and Halloween Night

_**Disclaimer- Let me make this clear: I am NOT JK Rowling or Rick Riordan, and therefore don't own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.**_

" _Double, double toil and trouble;_

 _Fire burn and cauldron bubble." -William Shakespeare_

 **Time Skip- Halloween Day**

 _ **Carina POV~**_

The autumn wind was slamming against my face, making my hair fly up into the air. It was October 31st, and my friends and I were standing in the courtyard. The Halloween Feast was in an hour, and after that, the Halloween Ball. Of course, third years and below couldn't go to the ball, but it's not like that's even important anyway.

"What do you think the feast is going to be like?" Scorp asked as we started walking back inside.

"I don't know. But it definitely can't top our parents' first Halloween Feast, can it Rosie?" Al mentioned, looking over towards his cousin.

"Wasn't that when Mom actually became friends with Dad and Uncle Harry? Rose asked. Al nodded as he jumped the trick step in the stairway.

"Didn't you say your parents were coming over today to talk to Professor Longbottom?" I questioned, remembering the letter Rose showed me the other day. Rose's face suddenly became ghostly pale. I looked at her in confusion, as did Scorpius and Al.

"What is it, Red? Are mummy and daddy going to be ashamed that- dare I say it- you only got a 99% on a test?" Scorp quipped. Rose glared at the boy, and though he tried to hide it, you could see him flinch.

"The real reason I don't want Dad to come over is you, you twat," Rose replied in annoyance. "Uncle Harry may be okay with us being-" she searched for the right word, "acquaintances, but Dad isn't going to be fond of the idea."

"So your Dad is going to hate me. Big deal," Scorpius replied sarcastically, and once again Rose glared at his back as we entered our common room.

For the next hour, we worked on our homework. Well, Rose and I worked on our essays, while Al and Scorp copied off our papers. I don't understand why they would do such a thing. They're both intelligent, they just need to put more effort into their work.

Soon, the boys went up to their dormitory, whilst us girls went to ours. By the time we had finished getting ready, the boys were already gone. Rose and I walked down the moving staircases, carefully avoiding all of the trick steps.

When we were walking down a deserted corridor on the fourth floor, I heard a faint noise. It was… beautiful. The voice was warm and melodious, and was singing some sort of song. It wasn't really a song. It was more of a tune, and the voice was humming it. The voice was soothing, and flooded all of my senses. It felt as if my hand were brushing against silk, but right after like wind blowing through my hair. Half of my mind was telling me to follow the voice, and I was about to, before the other half of my mind told me to STOP.

I screeched to a halt, but looked on as Rose walked past me in a trance. Before she could get any further, I grabbed her arm and pulled her behind me. Only when I snapped my fingers in front of her face did she regain her focus.

"What- what happened?" Rose questioned.

"You went into a weird trance. You were almost hypnotized," I replied to her.

"How?"

"I don't know."

Being as curious as I am, I had to investigate. I cast a silencing charm on the voice for precautionary measures, and Rose and I cautiously walked forwards.

After turning the corner, we saw it. A green and black symbol of a bird hanging eerily in the air. It seemed almost like a firework, except it wasn't fading away. Its wings were stretched out beside it, while its head was facing down. In the darkness of the corridor, it almost seemed to burn.

"Goodness," Rose muttered under her breath, "what is it?"

She turned her head towards me. "Should we tell the-"

"Professors? No. It's probably just a prank. We don't want to worry them over nothing," I replied calmly.

Was that the reason why I didn't tell the professors? Of course not. I just had a sneaking suspicion of what was behind this, and if I was right, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

-Line Break-

Rose and I walked down to the Great Hall, where the Halloween Feast was being celebrated. It was… beautiful. Tablecloths and banners that usually were the houses' colors all had become orange and black. Jack-o'-lanterns dangled in midair, casting an eerie glow around the hall. Dozens of ghosts were floating about, seemingly happier than they were any other day.

All of the Weasley-Potter Gryffindors and their friends were sitting at the front of the Gryffindor table. This included Albus, Scorpius, Louis, Lucy, Nessa, Liam, and Anastasia.

 _Wait…_

 _Where are Fred and James?_

 _Oh no._

In an explosion of orange, all of the students and staffs members' faces were morphed. Some students had devil horns, while others had dragon scales and werewolf tails. I, myself, had a pair of vampire teeth, alongside my skin becoming ghostly pale.

I looked around me. Rose had became a banshee, while Al had turned into a zombie. Scorpius had became a ghoul.

The staff were all the more entertaining. Professor McGonagall seemed to have transformed into some type of fairy, complete with a set of bright green wings. Professor Greengrass, meanwhile, had became a muggle version of a witch, with green skin and warts.

A couple minutes later, Fred and James walked into the Great Hall, looking the same as ever. Those of the students who didn't already know it was them began to realise that it was them who had planned the prank.

"Do you have anything to say for yourselves, boys?" McGonagall said as she walked down to the Gryffindor table.

"What could you possibly mean, Professor?" Fred said, feigning innocence.

"Although we would love to hear the story of how you got those wings. They really suit you," James mentioned, while trying to hold back laughter.

"Do explain, Mr. Potter and Weasley, how you are the only students in, seemingly, the entire school to have not morphed into some beast," Professor Greengrass asked from the head table.

"Sorry, Professor, but it seems rather unjust to assume it was us. See we weren't even in the Great Hall at the time of the incident." James answered.

"Anyone could've cursed any part of the Hall, and then joined the student body to make themselves seem innocent.'"

"Maybe the food?" James questioned.

"The pasties did look a bit off, didn't they, cousin?" Fred replied.

"The colour of the pumpkin juice didn't seem right, either," James added.

Everyone went back to their normal routine, and the feast continued. Fred and James took their place at our end of the table.

"How'd you do it?" Louis asked immediately after they sat down.

James looked around, before responding, "House elves. We convinced them to spike all of the food with a potion."

"Aunt Hermione would kill us," Fred mentioned off-handedly, before engaging in a conversation with Anastasia.

"It was obviously you. McGonagall could have found out if she wanted to," I said to James.

"Ah, but that's the thing, Cara, dear," James whispered, "she won't."

When I raised my eyebrows, he simply said, "The woman loves Fred and I, like it or not."

"By the way," he mentioned as an afterthought, "those vampire teeth really compliment your personality, Cara."

I narrowed my eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, just that you're so high maintenance that you suck the life out of everybody around you."

I was saved from responding by the new arrivals. Ron Weasley, quickly followed by Hermione Granger-Weasley.

Professor Longbottom came down from the staff table and went to greet them. Apparently, this kind of thing was normal, since none of the second years or higher seemed to bat an eye. Rose got up to say hi to her parents, dragging me behind her.

"Why am I the only one being dragged over?" I asked.

"They're going to sit down at the Gryffindor table for a couple minutes after this. You're intelligent, funny, and classy. Just be yourself, and hopefully everything will go to plan."

I read between the lines, and figured out why she wanted me to be a part of her welcoming committee. "You want me to warm them up so that I can soften the blow when they meet Scorpius and find out about everything else they might not like."

"Rose!" Mrs. Weasley said when she saw her daughter. She scooped her up in a hug. "Goodness, I've missed you."

Once she let go of Rose, she turned towards me. "You must be Cara. Rose has told me so much about you. Good to know she has a positive influence in the castle."

"Pleasure, Mrs. Weasley. It's nice to finally meet you after reading so much about you. Did you really-"

"Rosie!" A voice shouted from behind us. Ron Weasley picked up his daughter and swung her around.

Rose sighed once Mr. Weasley put her down. "Hey Dad."

We made our way back to the table and sat down. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley greeted their nieces and nephews, laughing at their transformed bodies.

When Mrs. Weasley saw Scorpius, she simply raised an eyebrow. When Mr. Weasley saw Scorpius, things went a bit differently.

"A Malfoy? In Gryffindor? That hat's finally gone bonkers."

"Mr. Weasley, I never thought I'd see where you'd agree with my father, but here we are," Scorpius retorted nonchalantly.

Mr. Weasley's face became slightly red at the comment. Mrs. Weasley dragged her husband away before things could become ugly.

Rose breathed a sigh of relief. "That went better than expected."

"What did you expect?"

"Murder, of some degree."

I rolled my eyes, before continuing to eat and laughing with my friends.

-Line Break-

After the feast was over, all of the younger students went back to their dormitories. Once it was late enough at night, and I was certain everyone was asleep, I crawled out of bed.

Sneaking out of the dormitories, I crept to the fourth floor. I was back in the corridor from earlier today. When I looked, the symbol from earlier today was still glowing in the air. The voice from earlier has stopped singing, but I knew where it had came from.

Walking in that direction lead me to a dead end. I was about to give up when I heard something. Footsteps.

I quickly hid in a nearby closet. I heard the footsteps stop, before a feminine voice began speaking.

"Of course I was successful. The victim has been captured, and it can only take so long for the staff of this place to notice. The sirens did their work beautifully, thank you."

 _Sirens._ I thought. I knew it was them the moment I heard those intoxicating voices. But according to whoever this was, they didn't act on their own accord.

"I left my mark for them all to see. Soon, they'll see it appearing everywhere, and start connecting the dots. If all of the victims will be this easy to take, this part of the plan should be a piece of cake."

"The students are being taken at random, but that'll change soon enough. Professors, Prefects, and Heads will all become primary targets. And I won't hesitate to take _esteemed_ guests such as those filthy Weasleys who visit so often. We just have to continue until we get the Ministry's attention."

"Of course. I will update you whenever any changes occur, my Lord."

I could hear footsteps getting fainter and fainter as the woman walked away. Once I was sure that she gone, I breathed out a sigh of relief, before leaving the closet and hurrying back to the Gryffindor common room.

As I flopped down onto my bed and stared at the ceiling, my mind went wild. Who was this mysterious lady? Were the students being kidnapped, because it definitely sounded like it. What was their plan? Who was she talking to? And how did this woman get ahold of sirens?

I forced these thoughts to the back of my head as I fell asleep.

 **A/N~ ...I'm back?**

 **I know, I know, it's literally been an eternity. I had quit writing this story, but for some reason, I had the strange urge to come back to it.**

 **I don't know whether I should continue writing this story or not, so I need you guys to help me. If you like it and think I should continue, please tell me in a review. Same thing if you think otherwise!**

 **See you later!**

 **-S**


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